retribution

/ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/

//ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən// noun

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

"retribution" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retribution” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,703. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,703
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retribution · retribution · English

retribution · rank #17,703 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,703
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH resent

Nearest frequency peer: resent (-2 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 “retribution”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retribution” 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
Key facts for retribution
PropertyValue
Headwordretribution
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#17,703
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retribution”

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).retributionlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “resent” (#17,701), “rhetorical” (#17,705), “recalling” (#17,700). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retribution” is #17,703. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around retribution (IPA /ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,703 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for retribution, with forms such as "ertribution", "rertibution", and "retirbution". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes From Latin retribuere (“repay”). The correct English form is retribution, spelled R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Whereas retribution focuses on the offender's wrong, retaliation focuses on the impulse of the victim (or of those who sympathize with him) to strike back at the offender.
  2. 1. Revenge is for an injury; retribution is for a wrong. 2. Retribution sets an internal limit to the amount of the punishment according to the seriousness of the wrong; revenge need not. 3. Revenge is personal; the agent of retribution need have no special or personal tie to the victim of the wrong for which he exacts retribution. 4. Revenge involves a p…

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From Latin retribuere (“repay”).

This word in other languages

castigo(Español)vendetta(Français)Vergeltung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertribution
  • rertibution
  • retirbution
  • retrbiution
  • retribbution
  • retribtuion
  • retribuiton
  • retribusion
  • retributino
  • retributionn
  • retributoin
  • retributtion
  • retriubtion
  • retrribution
  • rettribution
  • rretribution
  • rteribution

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertribution2rertibution2retirbution2retrbiution2retribbution1retribtuion2retribuiton2retribusion1
Edit distance from "retribution"

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 "retribution"?
"retribution" is spelled R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/.
What does "retribution" mean?
As a noun, "retribution" means: Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.
What are common misspellings of "retribution"?
Common misspellings include "ertribution", "rertibution", "retirbution", "retrbiution", "retribbution". The correct spelling is "retribution".
How do you pronounce "retribution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retribution" is /ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.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 "retribution"?
PIE word *tréyes From Latin retribuere (“repay”). 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 "retribution", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mountainous#17,681misdemeanor#17,677variability#17,744apologizing#17,760

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

incremental17 variantsCatholicism17 variantsfirefighter17 variantsfluorescent17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list