occasion

\ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃\

/\ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“occasion” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #632 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#632
frequency rank, French
8
letters
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Rencontre, conjoncture ou concours fortuit et éphémère de circonstances qui favorise temporairement une entreprise, un dessein, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

occasion vs occasions
89% similar
occasion vs occlusion
78% similar
occasion vs occasionné
80% similar

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

Key facts for occasion
PropertyValue
Headwordoccasion
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#632
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “occasion” 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). occasion 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 occasion is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #632 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for occasion, with forms such as "cocasion", "ocacsion", and "ocasion". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "occasions", "occlusion", "occasionné", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is occasion, spelled O-C-C-A-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rencontre, conjoncture ou concours fortuit et éphémère de circonstances qui favorise temporairement une entreprise, un dessein, etc.
  2. 2
    Ce qui donne lieu à une chose.
  3. 3
    Objet d’un prix moins élevé que celui des objets de même espèce, soit parce qu’il a déjà servi, soit pour toute autre raison.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cocasion,ocacsion,ocasion,occaison,occasino,occasionn,occasoin,occassion,occsaion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cocasion2ocacsion2ocasion1occaison2occasino2occasionn1occasoin2occassion1
Edit distance from "occasion"

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 "occasion"?
"occasion" is spelled O-C-C-A-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃\.
What does "occasion" mean?
As a noun, "occasion" means: Rencontre, conjoncture ou concours fortuit et éphémère de circonstances qui favorise temporairement une entreprise, un dessein, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "occasion"?
"occasion" is commonly confused with "occasions", "occlusion", "occasionné". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "occasion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "occasion" is \ɔ.ka.zjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "occasion" come from?
"occasion" 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 “occasion”

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

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