formation
[fɔːˈmeɪʃn]
The verdict
“formation” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #9,194 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #9,194
- frequency rank, German
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Bildung
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | formation |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [fɔːˈmeɪʃn] |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #9,194 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “formation” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for formation is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [fɔːˈmeɪʃn]. Corpus data places it at rank #9,194 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for formation, with forms such as "fformation", "fomration", and "foramtion". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Formationen", "Formaten", 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 German form is formation, spelled F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Bildung
- 2Formation
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: fformation,fomration,foramtion,formaiton,formatino,formationn,formatoin,formattion,formmation,formtaion,forrmation,fromation,ofrmation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of formation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "formation"?
What does "formation" mean?
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Using “formation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [fɔːˈmeɪʃn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Formationen” - see the side-by-side comparison. formation vs Formationen
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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.