# separation vs separatism

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### separation
*noun · IPA /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ · frequency rank #5,838*
The act of disuniting two or more things, or the condition of being separated.

### separatism
*noun · frequency rank #41,874*
A theory or doctrine which supports a state of separation between organizations, institutions, or other societal groups (e.g. between church and state) or between different political jurisdictions (e.g. a country and its former colony).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/separation-vs-separatism