tradition

/tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən/

//tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tradition” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,032 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,032
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A part of culture that is passed from person to person or generation to generation, possibly differing in detail from family to family, such as the way to celebrate holidays.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tradition vs transition
80% similar
tradition vs traditional
82% similar
tradition vs traction
78% similar

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

Key facts for tradition
PropertyValue
Headwordtradition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,032
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tradition” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). tradition lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for tradition is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,032 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for tradition, with forms such as "rtadition", "tardition", and "traddition". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "transition", "traditional", "traction", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tradicioun, from Old French tradicion, from Latin trāditiō, from the verb trādō. Doublet of treason. The correct English form is tradition, spelled T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A part of culture that is passed from person to person or generation to generation, possibly differing in detail from family to family, such as the way to celebrate holidays.
  2. 2
    A commonly held system.
  3. 3
    An established or distinctive style or method
  4. 4
    The act of delivering into the hands of another; delivery.
  5. 5
    The entirety of a text's transmission; all the versions of a work.

Etymology

From Middle English tradicioun, from Old French tradicion, from Latin trāditiō, from the verb trādō. Doublet of treason.

Synonyms

doctrine

This word in other languages

tradición(Español)tradition(Français)Tradition(Deutsch)tradição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtadition,tardition,traddition,tradiiton,tradision,traditino,traditionn,traditoin,tradittion,tradtiion,traidtion,trdaition,trradition,ttradition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtadition2tardition2traddition1tradiiton2tradision1traditino2traditionn1traditoin2
Edit distance from "tradition"

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 "tradition"?
"tradition" is spelled T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən/.
What does "tradition" mean?
As a noun, "tradition" means: A part of culture that is passed from person to person or generation to generation, possibly differing in detail from family to family, such as the way to celebrate holidays.
What words are commonly confused with "tradition"?
"tradition" is commonly confused with "transition", "traditional", "traction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tradition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tradition" is /tɹəˈdɪʃ.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 "tradition"?
From Middle English tradicioun, from Old French tradicion, from Latin trāditiō, from the verb trādō. Doublet of treason. 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.

Using “tradition”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “transition” - see the side-by-side comparison. tradition vs transition
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list