selection

/səˈlɛkʃən/

//səˈlɛkʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“selection” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,404 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,404
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process or act of selecting.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

selection vs selector
78% similar
selection vs selective
78% similar
selection vs section
78% similar

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

Key facts for selection
PropertyValue
Headwordselection
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈlɛkʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,404
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “selection” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). selection lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for selection is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səˈlɛkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,404 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for selection, with forms such as "eslection", "seelction", and "selcetion". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "selector", "selective", "section", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin sēlēctiō (“the act of choosing out, selection”), from sēligō (“choose out, select”), from sē- (“apart”) + legō (“gather, select”). Equivalent to select + -ion. The correct English form is selection, spelled S-E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process or act of selecting.
  2. 2
    Something selected.
  3. 3
    A variety of items taken from a larger collection.
  4. 4
    A musical piece.
  5. 5
    A set of data obtained from a database using a query.
  6. 6
    The ability of predicates to determine the semantic content of their arguments. ᵂᵖ
  7. 7
    A list of items on which user operations will take place. ᵂᵖ
  8. 8
    A unary operation that denotes a subset of a relation.
  9. 9
    The free selection before survey of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. ᵂᵖ
  10. 10
    The free selection before survey of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. ᵂᵖ
  11. 11
    The stage of a genetic algorithm in which individual genomes are chosen from a population for later breeding. ᵂᵖ
  12. 12
    Ellipsis of natural selection.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin sēlēctiō (“the act of choosing out, selection”), from sēligō (“choose out, select”), from sē- (“apart”) + legō (“gather, select”). Equivalent to select + -ion.

Synonyms

choiceoptionnumberpiecesubset

This word in other languages

selección(Español)sélection(Français)Auswahl(Deutsch)seleção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eslection,seelction,selcetion,selecction,seleciton,selecsion,selectino,selectionn,selectoin,selecttion,seletcion,sellection,sleection,sselection

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of selection - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eslection2seelction2selcetion2selecction1seleciton2selecsion1selectino2selectionn1
Edit distance from "selection"

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 "selection"?
"selection" is spelled S-E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈlɛkʃən/.
What does "selection" mean?
As a noun, "selection" means: The process or act of selecting.
What words are commonly confused with "selection"?
"selection" is commonly confused with "selector", "selective", "section". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "selection"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "selection" is /səˈlɛkʃən/. 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 "selection"?
Learned borrowing from Latin sēlēctiō (“the act of choosing out, selection”), from sēligō (“choose out, select”), from sē- (“apart”) + legō (“gather, select”). Equivalent to select + -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.

Using “selection”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-E-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səˈlɛkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “selector” - see the side-by-side comparison. selection vs selector
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list