abdication
/ˌæb.dəˈkeɪ.ʃən/noun
abdication is spelled A-B-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, abdication means “The act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by its holder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of abdication is abdications.
How many letters and syllables are in abdication?
| Letters | 10: A-B-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is abdication?
Abdication appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce abdication?
- UK /ˌæb.dəˈkeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ˌæb.dəˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Abdication has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-abdication.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with abdication?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as abdication from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of abdication
- abdications plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does abdication mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteThe act of disowning or disinheriting a child.
- 2
The act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by its holder.
- 3
The voluntary renunciation of sovereign power.
abdication of the throne, government, power, authority
- 4
obsoleteThe renunciation of interest in a property or a legal claim; abandonment.
- 5
obsoleteThe action of being deposed from the seat of power.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Abdication in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by :
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | abdication |
| German | Abdankung |
| Portuguese | abdicação |
| Spanish | abdicación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does abdication come from?
First attested in 1552. From Latin abdicātiō (“renunciation”), from abdicō. By surface analysis, abdicate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).