explosion

\ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\

/\ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“explosion” has 13 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #3,607. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,607
frequency rank, French
3,255
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - État, bruit, mouvement subit et impétueux que produisent les poudres, les mélanges de salpêtre et de soufre, certains mélanges de gaz, etc., lorsqu’ils s’enflamment.

Corpus desk

Index FR-explosion · explosion · French

explosion · rank #3,607 · 13 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,607
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,255
  • PHOTO-FINISH fac

Nearest frequency peer: fac (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “explosion”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “explosion” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

explosion vs expulsion
78% similar
explosion vs explosive
78% similar
explosion vs explosions
90% similar

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

Key facts for explosion
PropertyValue
Headwordexplosion
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,607
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Où “explosion” se place dans la fréquence du français

La fréquence va de la poignée de mots du quotidien (gauche) à la longue queue presque jamais vue (droite).explosionse place ici:

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

L'axe est logarithmique: chaque tic marque environ dix fois moins de fréquence. Dans la même bande de rareté figurent « fac » (#3,608), « documentaire » (#3,605), « faculté » (#3,609). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around explosion (IPA \ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,607 among 3,255 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for explosion, with forms such as "epxlosion", "exlposion", and "expllosion". 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, "expulsion", "explosive", "explosions", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is explosion, spelled E-X-P-L-O-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    État, bruit, mouvement subit et impétueux que produisent les poudres, les mélanges de salpêtre et de soufre, certains mélanges de gaz, etc., lorsqu’ils s’enflamment.
  2. 2
    Action d’éclater, produite par l’excès de tension.
  3. 3
    Se dit en parlant des passions violentes qui viennent à éclater.
  4. 4
    Accroissement très rapide, spectaculaire.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how explosion appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Lorsqu'on veut se figurer la cosmogenèse, c'est une aventure étrange, assez récente, pareille en somme à ce que serait une explosion hiroshimesque aperçue au ralenti : à partir d'un moment improbable, une avalanche de nébuleuses ignées, qui fuient.
  2. L’explosion d’une mine, d’un magasin à poudre.

Synonyms

déflagrationboom

Antonyms

implosion

This word in other languages

explosion(English)explosión(Español)Ausbruch(Deutsch)explosão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epxlosion
  • exlposion
  • expllosion
  • exploison
  • explosino
  • explosionn
  • explosoin
  • explossion
  • explsoion
  • expolsion
  • expplosion
  • exxplosion
  • xeplosion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epxlosion2exlposion2expllosion1exploison2explosino2explosionn1explosoin2explossion1
Edit distance from "explosion"

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 "explosion"?
"explosion" is spelled E-X-P-L-O-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\.
What does "explosion" mean?
As a noun, "explosion" means: État, bruit, mouvement subit et impétueux que produisent les poudres, les mélanges de salpêtre et de soufre, certains mélanges de gaz, etc., lorsqu’ils s’enflamment.
What words are commonly confused with "explosion"?
"explosion" is commonly confused with "expulsion", "explosive", "explosions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "explosion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "explosion" is \ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "explosion" come from?
"explosion" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "explosion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

contenant#3,601canadiens#3,594nationaux#3,625nettement#3,626

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

conflits13 variantsterrorisme13 variantssuppression13 variantsremporté13 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "explosion". Here's where to go from here.

  • "explosion" maps to 8 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "expulsion". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,607 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "E" letter cohort. E–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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