# reaction

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɹiˈækʃən/ · frequency rank #1,915

## Definitions
1. An action or statement in response to a stimulus or other event.
2. A transformation in which one or more substances is converted into another by combination or decomposition.
3. Reactionary politics; a period in which reactionary thought or politics is resurgent or dominant.
4. Unpurposeful behavior.
5. An icon or emoji appended to a posted message by a user to express their feeling about it.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English reaccion, from Old French reaction, from Latin reāctiō, from the verb reagō, from re- (“again”) + agō (“to act”); more at re-, action; equivalent to react + -ion.

## Easily confused with
- **reactor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-reactor)
- **relation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-relation)
- **reactive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-reactive)
- **reduction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-reduction)
- **reactions** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-reactions)
- **rejection** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-rejection)
- **resection** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-resection)
- **retraction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-retraction)
- **refraction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reaction-vs-refraction)
- **ration** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ration-vs-reaction)

## Common misspellings (12)
`eraction`, `raection`, `reacction`, `reaciton`, `reacsion`, `reactino`, `reactionn`, `reactoin`, `reacttion`, `reatcion`, `recation`, `rreaction`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/reaction