diminution

\di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\

/\di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“diminution” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,933 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,933
frequency rank, French
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

diminution vs domination
80% similar
diminution vs divination
80% similar
diminution vs diminutif
80% similar

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

Key facts for diminution
PropertyValue
Headworddiminution
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,933
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “diminution” 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). diminution 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 diminution is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,933 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 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 diminution, with forms such as "ddiminution", "diimnution", and "diminnution". 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, "domination", "divination", "diminutif", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is diminution, spelled D-I-M-I-N-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.
  2. 2
    Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.
  3. 3
    Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.
  4. 4
    Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.
  5. 5
    Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.
  6. 6
    Réduction du nombre de mailles d’un rang en cours de tricotage.
  7. 7
    Atténuation, adoucissement, apaisement.
  8. 8
    Atténuation, adoucissement, apaisement.
  9. 9
    Ornement, utilisé à la Renaissance et à l’époque baroque, consistant à lier deux notes longues par une succession de notes jouées à un rythme régulier, souvent improvisées, les notes ajoutées ayant donc une durée plus courte que les notes originelles, et représentant en général des intervalles plus petits.

Synonyms

amoindrissementdécroissementraccourcissementréductionrestrictionrétrécissement

Antonyms

accroissementaugmentation

This word in other languages

diminution(English)disminución(Español)Verminderung(Deutsch)diminuição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddiminution,diimnution,diminnution,dimintuion,diminuiton,diminutino,diminutionn,diminutoin,diminuttion,dimiuntion,dimminution,dimniution,dmiinution,idminution

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of diminution - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddiminution1diimnution2diminnution1dimintuion2diminuiton2diminutino2diminutionn1diminutoin2
Edit distance from "diminution"

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 "diminution"?
"diminution" is spelled D-I-M-I-N-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\.
What does "diminution" mean?
As a noun, "diminution" means: Action de diminuer, fait de devenir moindre.
What words are commonly confused with "diminution"?
"diminution" is commonly confused with "domination", "divination", "diminutif". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "diminution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diminution" is \di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "diminution" come from?
"diminution" 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 “diminution”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-I-M-I-N-U-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \di.mi.ny.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “domination” - see the side-by-side comparison. diminution vs domination
  • 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