transposition

noun

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

"transposition" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“transposition” is uncommon English (frequency #50,852 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,852
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process of transposing or interchanging.

Corpus desk

Index EN-transposition · transposition · English

transposition · rank #50,852 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,852
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH transpose

Nearest frequency peer: transpose (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “transposition”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “transposition” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for transposition
PropertyValue
Headwordtransposition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Frequency rank#50,852
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “transposition” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “transpose” (#50,851), “trax” (#50,853), “TRAC” (#50,850). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “transposition” is #50,852. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

transposition is uncommon English at frequency #50,852 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for transposition, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French transposition, from Medieval Latin transpositio. The correct English form is transposition, spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process of transposing or interchanging.
  2. 2
    A shift of a piece of music to a different musical key by adjusting all the notes of the work equally either up or down in pitch.
  3. 3
    A sequence of moves resulting in a position that may also be reached by another, more common sequence.
  4. 4
    An incorporation of the provisions of a European Union directive into a Member State's domestic law.

Etymology

From Middle French transposition, from Medieval Latin transpositio.

This word in other languages

transposición(Español)transposition(Français)Transposition(Deutsch)

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 "transposition"?
"transposition" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N.
What does "transposition" mean?
As a noun, "transposition" means: The act or process of transposing or interchanging.
What is the origin of the word "transposition"?
From Middle French transposition, from Medieval Latin transpositio. 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 "transposition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

undercarriage#50,873unimaginative#50,875agglomeration#50,923psychosomatic#50,748

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list