accentuation

/ˌækˌsɛn.t͡ʃəˈweɪ.ʃən/

//ˌækˌsɛn.t͡ʃəˈweɪ.ʃən// noun

"accentuation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accentuation” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Act of accentuating; applications of accent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accentuation · accentuation · English

accentuation · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for accentuation
PropertyValue
Headwordaccentuation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌækˌsɛn.t͡ʃəˈweɪ.ʃən/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “accentuation” in English

accentuationfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

accentuation is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌækˌsɛn.t͡ʃəˈweɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for accentuation, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin accentuatio. Compare French accentuation. Equivalent to accentuate + -ion. The correct English form is accentuation, spelled A-C-C-E-N-T-U-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Act of accentuating; applications of accent.
  2. 2
    Pitch or modulation of the voice in reciting portions of the liturgy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how accentuation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. This elementary instruction is language at its most advanced to minds trained on the accentuation of the antepenult (multiplicity) and on Sievers-type C2 half-line metrical patterns[.]

Etymology

From Late Latin accentuatio. Compare French accentuation. Equivalent to accentuate + -ion.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "accentuation"?
"accentuation" is spelled A-C-C-E-N-T-U-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌækˌsɛn.t͡ʃəˈweɪ.ʃən/.
What does "accentuation" mean?
As a noun, "accentuation" means: Act of accentuating; applications of accent.
How do you pronounce "accentuation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accentuation" is /ˌækˌsɛn.t͡ʃəˈweɪ.ʃən/. 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 "accentuation"?
From Late Latin accentuatio. Compare French accentuation. Equivalent to accentuate + -ion. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list