ablation

/əˈbleɪ.ʃn̩/

//əˈbleɪ.ʃn̩// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ablation" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ablation” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,260. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,260
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A carrying or taking away; removal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ablation · ablation · English

ablation · rank #38,260 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,260
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH abo

Nearest frequency peer: abo (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ablation”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ablation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ablation vs abortion
75% similar
ablation vs aviation
75% similar
ablation vs abrasion
75% similar

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

Key facts for ablation
PropertyValue
Headwordablation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbleɪ.ʃn̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#38,260
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ablation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ablationlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “abo” (#38,261), “3P” (#38,258), “actuator” (#38,263). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ablation” is #38,260. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around ablation (IPA /əˈbleɪ.ʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,260 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for ablation, with forms such as "abaltion", "abblation", and "ablaiton". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "abortion", "aviation", "abrasion", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English ablacioun (“removal”), from Late Latin ablātiō (“a taking away”), from auferō (“to take away, carry off, withdraw, remove”) + -tiō (“-tion”, nominal suffix). Doublet of ablatio. Compare French ablation. By surface analysis, ablat(e)… The correct English form is ablation, spelled A-B-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A carrying or taking away; removal.
  2. 2
    The surgical removal of a body part, an organ, or especially a tumor; the removal of an organ function; amputation.
  3. 3
    The progressive removal of material by any of a variety of processes such as melting or vaporization under heat or chipping.
  4. 4
    The progressive removal of material by any of a variety of processes such as melting or vaporization under heat or chipping.

Etymology

From Late Middle English ablacioun (“removal”), from Late Latin ablātiō (“a taking away”), from auferō (“to take away, carry off, withdraw, remove”) + -tiō (“-tion”, nominal suffix). Doublet of ablatio. Compare French ablation. By surface analysis, ablat(e) + -ion.

This word in other languages

ablación(Español)ablation(Français)Ablation(Deutsch)ablação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abaltion
  • abblation
  • ablaiton
  • ablasion
  • ablatino
  • ablationn
  • ablatoin
  • ablattion
  • abllation
  • abltaion
  • albation
  • balation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ablation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abaltion2abblation1ablaiton2ablasion1ablatino2ablationn1ablatoin2ablattion1
Edit distance from "ablation"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ablation"?
"ablation" is spelled A-B-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbleɪ.ʃn̩/.
What does "ablation" mean?
As a noun, "ablation" means: A carrying or taking away; removal.
What words are commonly confused with "ablation"?
"ablation" is commonly confused with "abortion", "aviation", "abrasion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ablation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ablation" is /əˈbleɪ.ʃn̩/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ablation"?
From Late Middle English ablacioun (“removal”), from Late Latin ablātiō (“a taking away”), from auferō (“to take away, carry off, withdraw, remove”) + -tiō (“-tion”, nominal suffix). Doublet of ablatio. Compare French ablation. By surface analysis... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ablation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

actuator#38,263admirals#38,265writhing#38,249Anatolia#38,279

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

androgen12 variantsAppalachia12 variantsvagabond12 variantsCerberus12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list