reduction

/ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/

//ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“reduction” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,716. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,716
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act, process, or result of reducing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reduction · reduction · English

reduction · rank #3,716 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,716
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH potentially

Nearest frequency peer: potentially (-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 “reduction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reduction” 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).

reduction vs rejection
78% similar
reduction vs resection
78% similar
reduction vs reductive
78% similar

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

Key facts for reduction
PropertyValue
Headwordreduction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,716
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reduction”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).reductionlands 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 “potentially” (#3,715), “reflect” (#3,717), “posting” (#3,714). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reduction” is #3,716. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around reduction (IPA /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,716 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for reduction, with forms such as "erduction", "rdeuction", and "redcution". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "rejection", "resection", "reductive", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reduccion, a borrowing from Old French reducion, from Latin reductiō, reductiōnem. Equivalent to reduce + -tion. The correct English form is reduction, spelled R-E-D-U-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act, process, or result of reducing.
  2. 2
    The amount or rate by which something is reduced, e.g. in price.
  3. 3
    A reaction in which electrons are gained and valence is reduced; often by the removal of oxygen or the addition of hydrogen.
  4. 4
    The process of rapidly boiling a sauce to concentrate it.
  5. 5
    The rewriting of an expression into a simpler form.
  6. 6
    A transformation of one problem into another problem, such as mapping reduction or polynomial-time reduction.
  7. 7
    An arrangement for a far smaller number of parties, e.g. a keyboard solo based on a full opera.
  8. 8
    A philosophical procedure intended to reveal the objects of consciousness as pure phenomena. (See phenomenological reduction.)
  9. 9
    A medical procedure to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment, usually with a closed approach but sometimes with an open approach (surgery).
  10. 10
    A reduced price of something by a fraction or decimal.
  11. 11
    The ratio of a material's change in thickness compared to its thickness prior to forging and/or rolling.
  12. 12
    A religious settlement created during a mission by Spanish or Portuguese colonists with the intent of evangelizing Christianity to the local population.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With the cutting out of the previous recovery times for electrification work, curtailment of station times and acceleration, considerable reductions have been made in the overall schedules.
  2. A 5% reduction in robberies

Etymology

From Middle English reduccion, a borrowing from Old French reducion, from Latin reductiō, reductiōnem. Equivalent to reduce + -tion.

Synonyms

declinelesseningextract

Antonyms

elevationexpansionincreasepromotionadditionsupplementoxidation

This word in other languages

reducción(Español)réduction(Français)Reduktion(Deutsch)redução(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erduction
  • rdeuction
  • redcution
  • redduction
  • reducction
  • reduciton
  • reducsion
  • reductino
  • reductionn
  • reductoin
  • reducttion
  • redutcion
  • reudction
  • rreduction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erduction2rdeuction2redcution2redduction1reducction1reduciton2reducsion1reductino2
Edit distance from "reduction"

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 "reduction"?
"reduction" is spelled R-E-D-U-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/.
What does "reduction" mean?
As a noun, "reduction" means: The act, process, or result of reducing.
What words are commonly confused with "reduction"?
"reduction" is commonly confused with "rejection", "resection", "reductive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reduction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reduction" is /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/. 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 "reduction"?
From Middle English reduccion, a borrowing from Old French reducion, from Latin reductiō, reductiōnem. Equivalent to reduce + -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 "reduction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

narrative#3,706amendment#3,736defensive#3,747Cambridge#3,675

Similar misspelling depth

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

occasionally14 variantsbroadcast14 variantsmaintained14 variantsownership14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list