# tension

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɛnʃən/ · frequency rank #4,987

## Definitions
1. The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
2. A psychological state of being tense.
3. A feeling of nervousness, excitement, or fear that is created in a movie, book, etc.; suspense.
4. The state of an elastic object which is stretched in a way which increases its length.
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. Voltage.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French tension, from Latin tēnsiō.

## Easily confused with
- **tensor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tension-vs-tensor)
- **torsion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tension-vs-torsion)
- **tensions** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tension-vs-tensions)
- **tendon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tendon-vs-tension)
- **tensile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tensile-vs-tension)

## Common misspellings (11)
`etnsion`, `tenison`, `tennsion`, `tensino`, `tensionn`, `tensoin`, `tenssion`, `tention`, `tesnion`, `tnesion`, `ttension`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tension