remission

/ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/

//ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n// noun

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

The verdict

“remission” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,790. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,790
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pardon of a sin; (chiefly historical, also figuratively) the forgiveness of an offence, or relinquishment of a (legal) claim or a debt.

Corpus desk

Index EN-remission · remission · English

remission · rank #22,790 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,790
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH renounce

Nearest frequency peer: renounce (+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 “remission”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “remission” 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).

remission vs revision
78% similar
remission vs recession
78% similar

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

Key facts for remission
PropertyValue
Headwordremission
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/
Letters9
Frequency rank#22,790
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “remission”

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).remissionlands 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 “renounce” (#22,791), “rejoin” (#22,788), “repentance” (#22,792). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “remission” is #22,790. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around remission (IPA /ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,790 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for remission, with forms such as "ermission", "reimssion", and "remision". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "revision", "recession", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English remissioun (“release from duty; freeing of captives; mercy, pardon, respite; forgiveness; release from or reduction of penances; reduction in intensity (of a quality, symptom, etc.); transfer of property, quitclaim; legal opinion or subm… The correct English form is remission, spelled R-E-M-I-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pardon of a sin; (chiefly historical, also figuratively) the forgiveness of an offence, or relinquishment of a (legal) claim or a debt.
  2. 2
    A lessening of amount due, as in either money or work, or intensity of a thing.
  3. 3
    A lessening of amount due, as in either money or work, or intensity of a thing.
  4. 4
    A lessening of amount due, as in either money or work, or intensity of a thing.
  5. 5
    An act of remitting, returning, or sending back.
  6. 6
    An act of remitting, returning, or sending back.
  7. 7
    Reflection or back-scattering of light by a material; (to send back)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſter…
  2. Remiſsion of ſins is giuen to all the elect, and them alone, becauſe it is giuen to them all and alone who beleeue; and none beleeue, but the elect onely; for the reprobate neuer haue true faith and beleefe: therefore they neuer obtaine remiſsion of their ſinnes.

Etymology

From Middle English remissioun (“release from duty; freeing of captives; mercy, pardon, respite; forgiveness; release from or reduction of penances; reduction in intensity (of a quality, symptom, etc.); transfer of property, quitclaim; legal opinion or submission; reference, cross-reference”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman remission, remissione, remissioun, remissiun and Middle French, Old French remission (“forgiveness of sin; pardoning of an offence; postponement; cessation, suspension; diminishing or weakening of something; reduction of debt; reduction in intensity of a disease or symptom”) (modern French rémission), and their etymon Late Latin remissiō (“forgiveness; pardon of sins”), Latin remissiō (“release; sending back; easing off, relaxing, softening; reduction of debt; reduction in intensity of a disease or symptom”), from remittō (“to remit, send back; to diminish; to relax; to do without, forego”) + -siō. Remittō is derived from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + mittō (“to cause to go; to send; to discharge, emit, let go, release; to throw; to extend, reach out; to announce, tell; to produce, yield; to attend, escort, guide; to dismiss, disregard; to end”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to change, exchange; to change places, go past”) or *(s)meyt- (“to throw”)). The English word is cognate with Catalan remissió, Italian remissioni, remissione (“remission; withdrawal of legal action; compliance, submission”), Old Occitan remessió, Portuguese remisson, remissão (“pardon; remission”), Spanish remisión (“remission”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ermission
  • reimssion
  • remision
  • remisison
  • remissino
  • remissionn
  • remissoin
  • remistion
  • remmission
  • remsision
  • rmeission
  • rremission

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ermission2reimssion2remision1remisison2remissino2remissionn1remissoin2remistion1
Edit distance from "remission"

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 "remission"?
"remission" is spelled R-E-M-I-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/.
What does "remission" mean?
As a noun, "remission" means: A pardon of a sin; (chiefly historical, also figuratively) the forgiveness of an offence, or relinquishment of a (legal) claim or a debt.
What words are commonly confused with "remission"?
"remission" is commonly confused with "revision", "recession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "remission"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "remission" is /ɹɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n/. 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 "remission"?
From Middle English remissioun (“release from duty; freeing of captives; mercy, pardon, respite; forgiveness; release from or reduction of penances; reduction in intensity (of a quality, symptom, etc.); transfer of property, quitclaim; legal opini... 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 "remission", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list