suction

/ˈsʌkʃən/

//ˈsʌkʃən// noun

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

"suction" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“suction” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,197. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,197
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A force which pushes matter from one space into another because the pressure inside the second space is lower than the pressure in the first.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suction · suction · English

suction · rank #18,197 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,197
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sunflower

Nearest frequency peer: sunflower (+1 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 “suction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “suction” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

suction vs Sutton
57% similar
suction vs scion
71% similar
suction vs station
71% similar

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

Key facts for suction
PropertyValue
Headwordsuction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌkʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#18,197
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “suction”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).suctionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sunflower” (#18,198), “steamer” (#18,195), “supplementary” (#18,199). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “suction” is #18,197. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around suction (IPA /ˈsʌkʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,197 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for suction, with forms such as "scution", "ssuction", and "sucction". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Sutton", "scion", "station", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin sūctiō, attested since Late Latin and derived from sūgō (“to suck”). Attested in English since the early 17th century. The correct English form is suction, spelled S-U-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A force which pushes matter from one space into another because the pressure inside the second space is lower than the pressure in the first.
  2. 2
    A force holding two objects together because the pressure in the space between the items is lower than the pressure outside that space.
  3. 3
    The process of creating an imbalance in pressure to draw matter from one place to another.
  4. 4
    A device for removing saliva from a patient's mouth during dental operations, a saliva ejector.
  5. 5
    influence; "pull".

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The first-named group — the insects that live by suction — include the scale insects, aphides, and sucking bugs[…]
  2. He's got some kind of suction with the Mayor's office.

Etymology

From Latin sūctiō, attested since Late Latin and derived from sūgō (“to suck”). Attested in English since the early 17th century.

This word in other languages

succión(Español)succion(Français)sucção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • scution
  • ssuction
  • sucction
  • suciton
  • sucsion
  • suctino
  • suctionn
  • suctoin
  • sucttion
  • sutcion
  • usction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

scution2ssuction1sucction1suciton2sucsion1suctino2suctionn1suctoin2
Edit distance from "suction"

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 "suction"?
"suction" is spelled S-U-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌkʃən/.
What does "suction" mean?
As a noun, "suction" means: A force which pushes matter from one space into another because the pressure inside the second space is lower than the pressure in the first.
What words are commonly confused with "suction"?
"suction" is commonly confused with "Sutton", "scion", "station". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suction" is /ˈsʌkʃən/. 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 "suction"?
From Latin sūctiō, attested since Late Latin and derived from sūgō (“to suck”). Attested in English since the early 17th century. 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 "suction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

steamer#18,195spinner#18,194topless#18,205torment#18,206

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

souvenir11 variantsslapping11 variantsunbeaten11 variantsrepealed11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list