sortition

/sɔːˈtɪ.ʃən/

//sɔːˈtɪ.ʃən// noun

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

The verdict

“sortition” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Selection by drawing lots.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sortition · sortition · English

sortition · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for sortition
PropertyValue
Headwordsortition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɔːˈtɪ.ʃən/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sortition” in English

sortitionranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sortition is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /sɔːˈtɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Selection by drawing lots.".

Zero misspellings are on record for sortition in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin sortītiō. The correct English form is sortition, spelled S-O-R-T-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Selection by drawing lots.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Demarchy — also called sortition — is a form of governance that selects the representatives of the people as a random sample from a pool of candidates.

Etymology

From Latin sortītiō.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sortition"?
"sortition" is spelled S-O-R-T-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /sɔːˈtɪ.ʃən/.
What does "sortition" mean?
As a noun, "sortition" means: Selection by drawing lots.
How do you pronounce "sortition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sortition" is /sɔːˈtɪ.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 "sortition"?
From Latin sortītiō. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list