treason

/ˈtɹiː.zən/

//ˈtɹiː.zən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“treason” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,118. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,118
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The crime of betraying one’s own country.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

treason vs Trenton
57% similar

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

Key facts for treason
PropertyValue
Headwordtreason
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɹiː.zən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,118
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “treason” 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). treason lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around treason (IPA /ˈtɹiː.zən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,118 among 27,828 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for treason, with forms such as "rteason", "terason", and "traeson". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Trenton", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tresoun, treison, from Anglo-Norman treson, from Old French traïson (“treason”), from trair, or from Latin trāditiō (“a giving up, handing over, surrender, delivery, tradition”), from trādō (“give up, hand over, deliver over, betray”, ve… The correct English form is treason, spelled T-R-E-A-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The crime of betraying one’s own country.
  2. 2
    An act of treachery, betrayal of trust or confidence.

Etymology

From Middle English tresoun, treison, from Anglo-Norman treson, from Old French traïson (“treason”), from trair, or from Latin trāditiō (“a giving up, handing over, surrender, delivery, tradition”), from trādō (“give up, hand over, deliver over, betray”, verb), from trāns- (“over, across”) + dō (“give”). Doublet of tradition.

This word in other languages

traición(Español)trahison(Français)Verrat(Deutsch)traição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rteason
  • terason
  • traeson
  • treaosn
  • treasno
  • treasonn
  • treasson
  • tresaon
  • trreason
  • ttreason

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rteason2terason2traeson2treaosn2treasno2treasonn1treasson1tresaon2
Edit distance from "treason"

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 "treason"?
"treason" is spelled T-R-E-A-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɹiː.zən/.
What does "treason" mean?
As a noun, "treason" means: The crime of betraying one’s own country.
What words are commonly confused with "treason"?
"treason" is commonly confused with "Trenton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "treason"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "treason" is /ˈtɹiː.zən/. 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 "treason"?
From Middle English tresoun, treison, from Anglo-Norman treson, from Old French traïson (“treason”), from trair, or from Latin trāditiō (“a giving up, handing over, surrender, delivery, tradition”), from trādō (“give up, hand over, deliver over, b... 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 “treason”

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

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

Same frequency band

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