tension

/ˈtɛnʃən/

//ˈtɛnʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tension” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,987. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,987
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tension · tension · English

tension · rank #4,987 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,987
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH targeted

Nearest frequency peer: targeted (-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 “tension”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tension” 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).

tension vs tensor
71% similar
tension vs torsion
71% similar
tension vs tensions
88% similar

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

Key facts for tension
PropertyValue
Headwordtension
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛnʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,987
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tension”

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).tensionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “targeted” (#4,986), “Thailand” (#4,988), “sue” (#4,985). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tension” is #4,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around tension (IPA /ˈtɛnʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,987 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for tension, with forms such as "etnsion", "tenison", and "tennsion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "tensor", "torsion", "tensions", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French tension, from Latin tēnsiō. The correct English form is tension, spelled T-E-N-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
  2. 2
    A psychological state of being tense.
  3. 3
    A feeling of nervousness, excitement, or fear that is created in a movie, book, etc.; suspense.
  4. 4
    The state of an elastic object which is stretched in a way which increases its length.
  5. 5
    A force transmitted through a rope, string, cable, or similar object (used with prepositions on, in, or of, e.g., "The tension in the cable is 1000 N", to convey that the same magnitude of force applies to objects attached to both ends).
  6. 6
    Voltage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My tensions with Eric over his alleged past actions have been fully resolved.
  2. Most of the overhead system is of the weight-tensioned type, constant tension being automatically applied by balance weights.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French tension, from Latin tēnsiō.

This word in other languages

tensión(Español)tension(Français)Spannung(Deutsch)tensão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etnsion
  • tenison
  • tennsion
  • tensino
  • tensionn
  • tensoin
  • tenssion
  • tention
  • tesnion
  • tnesion
  • ttension

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tension - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

etnsion2tenison2tennsion1tensino2tensionn1tensoin2tenssion1tention1
Edit distance from "tension"

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 "tension"?
"tension" is spelled T-E-N-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛnʃən/.
What does "tension" mean?
As a noun, "tension" means: The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
What words are commonly confused with "tension"?
"tension" is commonly confused with "tensor", "torsion", "tensions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tension"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tension" is /ˈtɛnʃən/. 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 "tension"?
Borrowed from Middle French tension, from Latin tēnsiō. 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 "tension", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shorter#4,981useless#4,996pension#4,969magical#4,963

Similar misspelling depth

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

theories11 variantsadvocate11 variantslongest11 variantsclosest11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list