propension

/pɹəˈpɛnʃ(ə)n/

//pɹəˈpɛnʃ(ə)n// noun

"propension" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“propension” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Propensity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-propension · propension · English

propension · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for propension
PropertyValue
Headwordpropension
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəˈpɛnʃ(ə)n/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “propension” in English

propensionfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

propension is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹəˈpɛnʃ(ə)n/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Propensity.".

propension has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French propension, and its source, Latin prōpēnsiō, from the participle stem of prōpendeō. The correct English form is propension, spelled P-R-O-P-E-N-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Propensity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how propension appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. But I aſſeſt the gods, your full conſent, / Gaue vvings to my propenſion, and cut off / All feares attending on ſo dire a proiect, […]
  2. As for me, my tast is strangely distasted to it's propensions, which in us are produced without the ordinance and direction of our judgement.

Etymology

From French propension, and its source, Latin prōpēnsiō, from the participle stem of prōpendeō.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "propension"?
"propension" is spelled P-R-O-P-E-N-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈpɛnʃ(ə)n/.
What does "propension" mean?
As a noun, "propension" means: Propensity.
How do you pronounce "propension"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "propension" is /pɹəˈpɛnʃ(ə)n/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "propension"?
From French propension, and its source, Latin prōpēnsiō, from the participle stem of prōpendeō. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list