adaptation

/ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.ʃən/

//ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"adaptation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adaptation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,982. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,982
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process of adapting something or becoming adapted to a situation; adjustment, modification.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adaptation · adaptation · English

adaptation · rank #6,982 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,982
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH advisor

Nearest frequency peer: advisor (+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 “adaptation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “adaptation” 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).

adaptation vs adaption
80% similar

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

Key facts for adaptation
PropertyValue
Headwordadaptation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#6,982
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adaptation”

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).adaptationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “advisor” (#6,983), “Abu” (#6,980), “aluminum” (#6,984). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adaptation” is #6,982. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around adaptation (IPA /ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,982 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for adaptation, with forms such as "aadptation", "adapattion", and "adapptation". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "adaption", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French adaptation, from Medieval Latin adaptātiō, from Latin adaptō (“I fit, adjust, modify; I adapt, fit or adjust to”); see adapt. Equivalent to adapt + -ation. The correct English form is adaptation, spelled A-D-A-P-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of adapting something or becoming adapted to a situation; adjustment, modification.
  2. 2
    A change that is made or undergone to suit a condition or environment.
  3. 3
    The process of change that an organism undergoes to be better suited to its environment.
  4. 4
    An instance of an organism undergoing change, or the structure or behavior that is changed.
  5. 5
    The process of adapting an artistic work from a different medium.
  6. 6
    An artistic work that has been adapted from a different medium.
  7. 7
    The means by which social groups adapt to different social and physical environments.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To sum up, the Furka-Oberalp Railway is a good example of the adaptation of the rack-and-pinion system to a main line over mountainous terrain.
  2. Lifestyle adaptation arises because people inevitably encounter a gap between the style of life they desire and the actual resources they control.

Etymology

From French adaptation, from Medieval Latin adaptātiō, from Latin adaptō (“I fit, adjust, modify; I adapt, fit or adjust to”); see adapt. Equivalent to adapt + -ation.

This word in other languages

adaptación(Español)adaptation(Français)Anpassung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aadptation
  • adapattion
  • adapptation
  • adaptaiton
  • adaptasion
  • adaptatino
  • adaptationn
  • adaptatoin
  • adaptattion
  • adapttaion
  • adapttation
  • adatpation
  • addaptation
  • adpatation
  • daaptation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adaptation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aadptation2adapattion2adapptation1adaptaiton2adaptasion1adaptatino2adaptationn1adaptatoin2
Edit distance from "adaptation"

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 "adaptation"?
"adaptation" is spelled A-D-A-P-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "adaptation" mean?
As a noun, "adaptation" means: The process of adapting something or becoming adapted to a situation; adjustment, modification.
What words are commonly confused with "adaptation"?
"adaptation" is commonly confused with "adaption". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adaptation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adaptation" is /ˌæd.əpˈteɪ.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 "adaptation"?
From French adaptation, from Medieval Latin adaptātiō, from Latin adaptō (“I fit, adjust, modify; I adapt, fit or adjust to”); see adapt. Equivalent to adapt + -ation. 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 "adaptation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

creativity#7,001questioned#6,954harassment#7,016instructor#6,925

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

qualifying15 variantsenthusiasm15 variantsdictionary15 variantsassociations15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list