affectation
/ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
affectation is spelled A-F-F-E-C-T-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, affectation means “An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of affectation is affectations.
How many letters and syllables are in affectation?
| Letters | 11: A-F-F-E-C-T-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 67,454th 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 affectation?
Affectation appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th 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 affectation?
- US /ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
Affectation 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-affectation.ogg, En-au-affectation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with affectation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as affectation 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 affectation
- affectations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does affectation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show.
- 2
An unusual mannerism.
- 3
rareAn ostentatious fondness for something.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Affectation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense an attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | affectation |
| German | Geschraubtheit |
| Portuguese | afetação |
| Spanish | afectación |
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.