suspicion

/səˈspɪʃ.ən/

//səˈspɪʃ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“suspicion” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,506. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,506
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of suspecting something or someone, especially of something wrong.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suspicion · suspicion · English

suspicion · rank #7,506 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,506
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH superintendent

Nearest frequency peer: superintendent (-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 “suspicion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “suspicion” 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).

suspicion vs suspicious
80% similar
suspicion vs suspicions
90% similar

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

Key facts for suspicion
PropertyValue
Headwordsuspicion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈspɪʃ.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,506
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “suspicion”

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).suspicionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “superintendent” (#7,505), “sweep” (#7,507), “succession” (#7,504). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “suspicion” is #7,506. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around suspicion (IPA /səˈspɪʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,506 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for suspicion, with forms such as "ssupicion", "ssuspicion", and "supsicion". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "suspicious", "suspicions", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English suspecioun, borrowed from Latin suspīciō, suspīciōnem, from suspicere, from sub- (“up to”) with specere (“to look at”). Perhaps partly through the influence of Old French sospeçon (or rather the Anglo-Norman form suspecioun). Equivalent … The correct English form is suspicion, spelled S-U-S-P-I-C-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of suspecting something or someone, especially of something wrong.
  2. 2
    The condition of being suspected.
  3. 3
    Uncertainty, doubt.
  4. 4
    A trace, or slight indication.
  5. 5
    The imagining of something without evidence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]purſued his vnneighbourly purpoſe in ſuch ſort: that hee being the ſtronger perſwader, and ſhe (belike) too credulous in beleeuing or elſe ouer-feeble in reſiſting, from priuate imparlance, they fell to action; and continued their cloſe fight a long while together, vnſeene and vvithout ſuſpition, no doubt to their equall ioy and contentment.
  2. His unruly hair was slicked down with water, and as Jessamy introduced him to Miss Brindle his face assumed a cherubic innocence which would immediately have aroused the suspicions of anyone who knew him.

Etymology

From Middle English suspecioun, borrowed from Latin suspīciō, suspīciōnem, from suspicere, from sub- (“up to”) with specere (“to look at”). Perhaps partly through the influence of Old French sospeçon (or rather the Anglo-Norman form suspecioun). Equivalent to suspect + -ion.

Synonyms

inkling

This word in other languages

sospecha(Español)suspicion(Français)Verdacht(Deutsch)suspeita(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ssupicion
  • ssuspicion
  • supsicion
  • susipcion
  • suspciion
  • suspiccion
  • suspicino
  • suspicionn
  • suspicoin
  • suspiicon
  • susppicion
  • susspicion
  • usspicion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ssupicion2ssuspicion1supsicion2susipcion2suspciion2suspiccion1suspicino2suspicionn1
Edit distance from "suspicion"

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 "suspicion"?
"suspicion" is spelled S-U-S-P-I-C-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈspɪʃ.ən/.
What does "suspicion" mean?
As a noun, "suspicion" means: The act of suspecting something or someone, especially of something wrong.
What words are commonly confused with "suspicion"?
"suspicion" is commonly confused with "suspicious", "suspicions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suspicion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suspicion" is /səˈspɪʃ.ən/. 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 "suspicion"?
From Middle English suspecioun, borrowed from Latin suspīciō, suspīciōnem, from suspicere, from sub- (“up to”) with specere (“to look at”). Perhaps partly through the influence of Old French sospeçon (or rather the Anglo-Norman form suspecioun). E... 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 "suspicion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

therapist#7,510sexuality#7,500scattered#7,497wholesale#7,518

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

revealing13 variantsrealizing13 variantsrandomly13 variantsportable13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list