Which to use
“limitation” and “limitations” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,060
- “limitation” frequency rank
- #6,587
- “limitations” frequency rank
- 17647
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | limitation | limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The act of limiting or the state of being limited. | plural of limitation |
Where the eye mixes limitation and limitations
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: limitation vs limitations
A purely visual mix-up. limitation (/lɪmɪˈteɪʃən/) and limitations (/lɪmɪˈteɪʃənz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “limitation” sits inside “limitations”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17647, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
limitation is recorded at frequency rank #11,060, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɪmɪˈteɪʃən/. limitations is at rank #6,587, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɪmɪˈteɪʃənz/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 17647, this pair ranks #450,078 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of limitation vs limitations
Shared letters: ailmnot. Private to "limitation": -. Private to "limitations": s.
"limitation" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC · "limitations" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- limitation ← ilmitation · liimtation · limiattion · limitaiton · limitasion · limitatino · limitationn · limitatoin
- limitations ← ilmitations · liimtations · limiattions · limitaitons · limitatinos · limitationns · limitationss · limitatiosn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "limitation" for "limitations" ever safe?
Which is more common, "limitation" or "limitations"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "limitation" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "limitations" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #450,078 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "limitation" and "limitations" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "limitation vs litigation". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #450,078 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.