distraction

\dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\

/\dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“distraction” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #17,114 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,114
frequency rank, French
11
letters
17
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Inattention, inapplication de la pensée aux choses dont on devrait s’occuper.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

distraction vs distractions
92% similar
distraction vs destruction
82% similar
distraction vs distinction
82% similar

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

Key facts for distraction
PropertyValue
Headworddistraction
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\
Letters11
Frequency rank#17,114
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “distraction” 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). distraction 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 distraction is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #17,114 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for distraction, with forms such as "ddistraction", "disrtaction", and "disstraction". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "distractions", "destruction", "distinction", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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 distraction, spelled D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inattention, inapplication de la pensée aux choses dont on devrait s’occuper.
  2. 2
    Résultat de cette inattention.
  3. 3
    Ce qui amuse, délasse l’esprit.
  4. 4
    Séparation d’une partie d’avec son tout.
  5. 5
    Retrait d’une parcelle du champ d’application du régime forestier.

This word in other languages

distraction(English)distracción(Español)Zerstreuung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddistraction,disrtaction,disstraction,distarction,distracction,distraciton,distractino,distractionn,distractoin,distracttion,distratcion,distrcation,distrraction,disttraction,ditsraction,dsitraction,idstraction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddistraction1disrtaction2disstraction1distarction2distracction1distraciton2distractino2distractionn1
Edit distance from "distraction"

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 "distraction"?
"distraction" is spelled D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\.
What does "distraction" mean?
As a noun, "distraction" means: Inattention, inapplication de la pensée aux choses dont on devrait s’occuper.
What words are commonly confused with "distraction"?
"distraction" is commonly confused with "distractions", "destruction", "distinction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "distraction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "distraction" is \dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "distraction" come from?
"distraction" 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 “distraction”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dis.tʁak.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “distractions” - see the side-by-side comparison. distraction vs distractions
  • 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