scansion
/ˈskæn.ʃən/noun, verb
scansion is spelled S-C-A-N-S-I-O-N: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 35 million words in written English, the 180,281st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scansion means “The rhythm or meter of a line or verse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scansion is scansions.
How many letters and syllables are in scansion?
| Letters | 8: S-C-A-N-S-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 35 million words; the 180,281st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is scansion?
Scansion appears about once in every 35 million words in written English, the 180,281st 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 scansion?
- US /ˈskæn.ʃən/
Scansion has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scansion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with scansion?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scansion from its last stressed vowel (/ænʃən/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of scansion
- scansions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- scansioning participle, present
- scansioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scansion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The rhythm or meter of a line or verse.
- 2
The act of analyzing the meter of poetry.
verb
- 1
Of text, to put into a rhythmic form or meter.
- 2
To impose patterns on.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scansion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 scansion come from?
From Late Latin scansiōnem, accusative singular of scansiō (“the act of climbing”), from scandō (“to climb”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).