reception

/ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩/

//ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩// noun

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

"reception" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reception” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,885. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,885
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of receiving.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reception · reception · English

reception · rank #4,885 · 14 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,885
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH ranks

Nearest frequency peer: ranks (-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 “reception”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reception” 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).

reception vs receptor
78% similar
reception vs rejection
78% similar
reception vs recession
78% similar

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

Key facts for reception
PropertyValue
Headwordreception
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,885
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reception”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).receptionlands 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 “ranks” (#4,884), “recipe” (#4,886), “Rangers” (#4,883). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reception” is #4,885. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around reception (IPA /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,885 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for reception, with forms such as "erception", "rceeption", and "recception". 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. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "receptor", "rejection", "recession", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English recepcion, reception, from Middle French reception, from Latin receptiōn- (“the act of receiving; reception”), from recipiō (“receive”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to hold”). Equivalent to receive + -tion. The correct English form is reception, spelled R-E-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of receiving.
  2. 2
    The act or ability to receive radio or similar signals.
  3. 3
    A social engagement, usually to formally welcome someone.
  4. 4
    A reaction; the treatment received on first talking to a person, arriving at a place, etc.
  5. 5
    The desk of a hotel or office where guests are received.
  6. 6
    The school year, or part thereof, between preschool and Year 1, when children are introduced to formal education.
  7. 7
    The conscious adoption or transplantation of legal phenomena from a different culture.
  8. 8
    The act of catching a pass.
  9. 9
    Reading viewed as the active process of receiving a text in any medium (written, spoken, signed, multimodal, nonverbal), consisting of several steps, such as ideation, comprehension, reconstruction, interpretation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We have poor TV reception in the valley.
  2. The new system provides exceptional quality of the reception signal.

Etymology

From Middle English recepcion, reception, from Middle French reception, from Latin receptiōn- (“the act of receiving; reception”), from recipiō (“receive”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to hold”). Equivalent to receive + -tion.

Synonyms

front desk

This word in other languages

recepción(Español)réception(Français)Empfang(Deutsch)recepção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erception
  • rceeption
  • recception
  • recepiton
  • recepption
  • recepsion
  • receptino
  • receptionn
  • receptoin
  • recepttion
  • recetpion
  • recpetion
  • reecption
  • rreception

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reception - 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.

erception2rceeption2recception1recepiton2recepption1recepsion1receptino2receptionn1
Edit distance from "reception"

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 "reception"?
"reception" is spelled R-E-C-E-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩/.
What does "reception" mean?
As a noun, "reception" means: The act of receiving.
What words are commonly confused with "reception"?
"reception" is commonly confused with "receptor", "rejection", "recession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reception"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reception" is /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃn̩/. 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 "reception"?
From Middle English recepcion, reception, from Middle French reception, from Latin receptiōn- (“the act of receiving; reception”), from recipiō (“receive”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to hold”). Equivalent to receive + -tion. 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 "reception", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sponsored#4,896substance#4,900legendary#4,869instantly#4,864

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

suggestion14 variantsaffordable14 variantsdiscussing14 variantscompeting14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list