refraction
/ɹəˈfɹækʃən/noun
refraction is spelled R-E-F-R-A-C-T-I-O-N: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, refraction means “The turning or bending of any wave, such as a light or sound wave, when it passes from one medium into another of different optical density” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of refraction is refractions.
How many letters and syllables are in refraction?
| Letters | 10: R-E-F-R-A-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is refraction?
Refraction appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce refraction?
- /ɹəˈfɹækʃən/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-refraction.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of refraction
- refractions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does refraction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The turning or bending of any wave, such as a light or sound wave, when it passes from one medium into another of different optical density.
- 2
The degree to which a metal or compound can withstand heat
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Refraction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense bending of any wave:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réfraction |
| German | Brechung, Refraktion |
| Portuguese | refração |
| Spanish | refracción |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does refraction come from?
Borrowed from Latin refrāctiō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).