propulsion
/pɹəˈpʌlʃən/
"propulsion" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“propulsion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,891 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #15,891
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process of propelling, driving, or pushing, typically forward or onward; a propulsive force or impulse.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | propulsion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɹəˈpʌlʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #15,891 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “propulsion” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for propulsion is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹəˈpʌlʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,891 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for propulsion, with forms such as "porpulsion", "ppropulsion", and "proplusion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin propulsio, propulsionis, from the past participle of Latin propello (“to drive forward, drive forth, drive away, drive out”). The correct English form is propulsion, spelled P-R-O-P-U-L-S-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The process of propelling, driving, or pushing, typically forward or onward; a propulsive force or impulse.
- 2That which propels.
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin propulsio, propulsionis, from the past participle of Latin propello (“to drive forward, drive forth, drive away, drive out”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: porpulsion,ppropulsion,proplusion,proppulsion,propulison,propullsion,propulsino,propulsionn,propulsoin,propulssion,propultion,propuslion,prouplsion,prpoulsion,prropulsion,rpopulsion
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of propulsion - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “propulsion”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-P-U-L-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pɹəˈpʌlʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.