reflection
/ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/
"reflection" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“reflection” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,447 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #5,447
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reflection |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #5,447 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reflection” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reflection is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,447 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 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 reflection, with forms such as "erflection", "refelction", and "refflection". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "rejection", "reflector", "resection", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French reflexion, reflection, and its source Late Latin reflexio, from the participle stem of reflectō. The current spelling is influenced by reflect. Equivalent to reflect + -ion. The correct English form is reflection, spelled R-E-F-L-E-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.
- 2The property of a propagated wave being thrown back from a surface (such as a mirror).
- 3Something, such as an image, that is reflected.
- 4Careful thought or consideration.
- 5A representative manifestation or outcome of a condition, trend or trait.
- 6A representative manifestation or outcome of a condition, trend or trait.
- 7The process or mechanism of determining the capabilities of an object at run-time.
- 8The folding of a part; a fold.
Etymology
From Middle French reflexion, reflection, and its source Late Latin reflexio, from the participle stem of reflectō. The current spelling is influenced by reflect. Equivalent to reflect + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erflection,refelction,refflection,reflcetion,reflecction,refleciton,reflecsion,reflectino,reflectionn,reflectoin,reflecttion,refletcion,refllection,relfection,rfelection,rreflection
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reflection - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 “reflection”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-F-L-E-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “rejection” - see the side-by-side comparison. reflection vs rejection
- 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.