union

/ˈjuː.njən/

//ˈjuː.njən// noun

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

"union" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“union” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #890 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#890
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

union vs uno
60% similar
union vs upon
60% similar
union vs unit
60% similar

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

Key facts for union
PropertyValue
Headwordunion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjuː.njən/
Letters5
Frequency rank#890
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “union” 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). union 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 union is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈjuː.njən/. Corpus data places it at rank #890 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for union, with forms such as "nuion", "uinon", and "unino". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "uno", "upon", "unit", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio. The correct English form is union, spelled U-N-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
  2. 2
    The state of being united or joined; a state of unity or harmony.
  3. 3
    Something united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league.
  4. 4
    A trade union; a workers' union.
  5. 5
    An association of students at a university for social and/or political purposes; also in some cases a debating body.
  6. 6
    A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, such as pipes.
  7. 7
    The set containing all of the elements of two or more sets.
  8. 8
    The act or state of marriage.
  9. 9
    Sexual intercourse.
  10. 10
    A data structure that can store any of various types of item, but only one at a time.
  11. 11
    A large, high-quality pearl.
  12. 12
    An affiliation of several parishes for joint support and management of their poor; also the jointly-owned workhouse.

Etymology

From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio.

This word in other languages

unión(Español)union(Français)Vereinigung(Deutsch)união(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nuion,uinon,unino,unionn,unnion,unoin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nuion2uinon2unino2unionn1unnion1unoin2
Edit distance from "union"

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 "union"?
"union" is spelled U-N-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjuː.njən/.
What does "union" mean?
As a noun, "union" means: The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
What words are commonly confused with "union"?
"union" is commonly confused with "uno", "upon", "unit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "union"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "union" is /ˈjuː.njən/. 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 "union"?
From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio. 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 “union”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈjuː.njən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “uno” - see the side-by-side comparison. union vs uno
  • 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