English Word Reference Free

restriction

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

11 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "restriction", 11-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "restriction" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "restriction" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

restriction is aEnglishnoun. It means: The act of restricting, or the state of being restricted. Pronounced /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/. Often confused with retraction and restrictive.

Key facts for restriction
PropertyValue
Headwordrestriction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#10,269
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of restriction in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for restriction is 11 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,269 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 18 documented wrong-spelling variants for restriction, with forms such as "erstriction", "resrtiction", and "resstriction". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "retraction", "restrictive", "restrictions", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English restriccioun, from Anglo-Norman restriction, Middle French restriction, and their source, Late Latin restrictiō, from Latin restringō. Morphologically restrict + -ion. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is restriction, spelled R-E-S-T-R-I-C-T-I-O-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of restricting, or the state of being restricted.
  2. 2
    A regulation or limitation that restricts.
  3. 3
    The mechanism by which a cell degrades foreign DNA material.

Etymology

From Middle English restriccioun, from Anglo-Norman restriction, Middle French restriction, and their source, Late Latin restrictiō, from Latin restringō. Morphologically restrict + -ion.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erstriction,resrtiction,resstriction,restirction,restrcition,restricction,restriciton,restricsion,restrictino,restrictionn,restrictoin,restricttion,restritcion,restrriction,resttriction,retsriction,rrestriction,rsetriction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for restriction

Misspelling Variants of "restriction"

erstriction11resrtiction11resstriction12restirction11restrcition11restricction12restriciton11restricsion11
Misspelling Variants of "restriction"

Frequency rank: #10,269 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "restriction"?
"restriction" is spelled R-E-S-T-R-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/.
What does "restriction" mean?
As a noun, "restriction" means: The act of restricting, or the state of being restricted.
What words are commonly confused with "restriction"?
"restriction" is commonly confused with "retraction", "restrictive", "restrictions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "restriction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "restriction" is /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/. 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 "restriction"?
From Middle English restriccioun, from Anglo-Norman restriction, Middle French restriction, and their source, Late Latin restrictiō, from Latin restringō. Morphologically restrict + -ion. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.