actuation

/ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪʃən/

//ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪʃən// noun

"actuation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“actuation” is uncommon English (frequency #56,567 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,567
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of putting into motion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-actuation · actuation · English

actuation · rank #56,567 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,567
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH acidosis

Nearest frequency peer: acidosis (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “actuation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “actuation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for actuation
PropertyValue
Headwordactuation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#56,567
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “actuation” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).actuationfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “acidosis” (#56,566), “acetylene” (#56,565), “academician” (#56,564). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “actuation” is #56,567. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

actuation is uncommon English at frequency #56,567 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The act of putting into motion.".

No misspelling variants are generated for actuation in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From actuate + -ion. The correct English form is actuation, spelled A-C-T-U-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of putting into motion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Although an operator presses the button, the actuation is done by an immense series of levers and cranks.
  2. All the outside passenger doors are fitted with drop windows and outside actuation locks, and each end of the car has a Pullman type gangway.

Etymology

From actuate + -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); 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 "actuation"?
"actuation" is spelled A-C-T-U-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪʃən/.
What does "actuation" mean?
As a noun, "actuation" means: The act of putting into motion.
How do you pronounce "actuation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "actuation" is /ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪʃən/. 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 "actuation"?
From actuate + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list