conception

\kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\

/\kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“conception” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,220 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,220
frequency rank, French
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action par laquelle un enfant est conçu dans le sein de sa mère quand l’embryon se forme par la rencontre d’un ovule et d’un spermatozoïde. → voir fécondation

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

conception vs convention
80% similar
conception vs concession
80% similar
conception vs confection
80% similar

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

Key facts for conception
PropertyValue
Headwordconception
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,220
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “conception” sits in French 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). conception 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 French entry for conception is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,220 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for conception, with forms such as "cconception", "cnoception", and "cocneption". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "convention", "concession", "confection", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is conception, spelled C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action par laquelle un enfant est conçu dans le sein de sa mère quand l’embryon se forme par la rencontre d’un ovule et d’un spermatozoïde. → voir fécondation
  2. 2
    Faculté de comprendre et de concevoir les choses.
  3. 3
    Pensée résultant de cette faculté, idée, production de l’intelligence.
  4. 4
    Manière de voir les choses.
  5. 5
    Élaboration d’une idée ou d’un projet.
  6. 6
    Manière dont une chose est conçue.
  7. 7
    Ensemble des études préliminaires à la fabrication d’un produit.

This word in other languages

conception(English)concepción(Español)Empfängnis(Deutsch)concepção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cconception,cnoception,cocneption,concception,concepiton,concepption,conceptino,conceptionn,conceptoin,concepttion,concetpion,concpetion,conecption,connception,ocnception

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconception1cnoception2cocneption2concception1concepiton2concepption1conceptino2conceptionn1
Edit distance from "conception"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "conception"?
"conception" is spelled C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\.
What does "conception" mean?
As a noun, "conception" means: Action par laquelle un enfant est conçu dans le sein de sa mère quand l’embryon se forme par la rencontre d’un ovule et d’un spermatozoïde. → voir fécondation
What words are commonly confused with "conception"?
"conception" is commonly confused with "convention", "concession", "confection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conception"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conception" is \kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "conception" come from?
"conception" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “conception”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-N-C-E-P-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃.sɛp.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “convention” - see the side-by-side comparison. conception vs convention
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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