question

/ˈkwɛs.tʃən/

//ˈkwɛs.tʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"question" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“question” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #448. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#448
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A worded or expressed sentence, phrase, or only a word on its own, which asks for information, a reply, or a response; an interrogative.

Corpus desk

Index EN-question · question · English

question · rank #448 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #448
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH move

Nearest frequency peer: move (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “question”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “question” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

question vs questions
89% similar
question vs questioned
80% similar
question vs Quentin
63% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for question
PropertyValue
Headwordquestion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkwɛs.tʃən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#448
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “question”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).questionlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “move” (#447), “r” (#449), “months” (#446). Among 288 “Q” headwords, “question” is #448. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around question (IPA /ˈkwɛs.tʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #448 among 288 “Q” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for question, with forms such as "qeustion", "qquestion", and "quesiton". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "questions", "questioned", "Quentin", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English questioun, from Anglo-Norman questiun, from Old French question, from Latin quaestiōnem, accusative of quaestiō (“a seeking, investigation, inquiry, question”), from quaerere (“to seek, ask, inquire”), of uncertain origin, but possibly f… The correct English form is question, spelled Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A worded or expressed sentence, phrase, or only a word on its own, which asks for information, a reply, or a response; an interrogative.
  2. 2
    A subject or topic for consideration or investigation.
  3. 3
    A doubt or challenge about the truth, accuracy, or validity of a matter.
  4. 4
    A proposal to a meeting as a topic for deliberation.
  5. 5
    Interrogation by torture.
  6. 6
    Talk; conversation; speech.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What is your question?
  2. I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.

Etymology

From Middle English questioun, from Anglo-Norman questiun, from Old French question, from Latin quaestiōnem, accusative of quaestiō (“a seeking, investigation, inquiry, question”), from quaerere (“to seek, ask, inquire”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Partially displaced native Old English āscung. Compare also Middle Low German quēstie (“questioning; inquiry”), Middle High German questje (“question”). Cognates include English quest.

This word in other languages

pregunta(Español)question(Français)Frage(Deutsch)questão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • qeustion
  • qquestion
  • quesiton
  • quession
  • quesstion
  • questino
  • questionn
  • questoin
  • questtion
  • quetsion
  • qusetion
  • uqestion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of question - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

qeustion2qquestion1quesiton2quession1quesstion1questino2questionn1questoin2
Edit distance from "question"

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

How do you spell "question"?
"question" is spelled Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkwɛs.tʃən/.
What does "question" mean?
As a noun, "question" means: A worded or expressed sentence, phrase, or only a word on its own, which asks for information, a reply, or a response; an interrogative.
What words are commonly confused with "question"?
"question" is commonly confused with "questions", "questioned", "Quentin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "question"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "question" is /ˈkwɛs.tʃən/. 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 "question"?
From Middle English questioun, from Anglo-Norman questiun, from Old French question, from Latin quaestiōnem, accusative of quaestiō (“a seeking, investigation, inquiry, question”), from quaerere (“to seek, ask, inquire”), of uncertain origin, but ... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "question", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

possible#438probably#425remember#417research#402

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

community12 variantsservices12 variantsyourself12 variantsalthough12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list