affectation

/ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/

//ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"affectation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“affectation” is uncommon English (frequency #67,205 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,205
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show.

Corpus desk

Index EN-affectation · affectation · English

affectation · rank #67,205 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,205
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH agger

Nearest frequency peer: agger (+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 “affectation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for affectation
PropertyValue
Headwordaffectation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#67,205
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “affectation” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).affectationfalls 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: “agger” (#67,206), “admonish” (#67,203), “AKC” (#67,208). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “affectation” is #67,205. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

affectation is uncommon English at frequency #67,205 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

affectation doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. 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 Middle French affectation and its etymon Latin affectātiōnem, from affectō (“I feign”). By surface analysis, affect + -ation. The correct English form is affectation, spelled A-F-F-E-C-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show.
  2. 2
    An unusual mannerism.
  3. 3
    An ostentatious fondness for something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This poem is strongly tinctured with those pedantic affectations concerning the passion of love ...
  2. [T]hey were not the spoiled children of affectation and refinement, but a bold, vigorous, independent race of thinkers, with prodigious strength and energy, with none but natural grace, and heartfelt unobtrusive delicacy.

Etymology

From Middle French affectation and its etymon Latin affectātiōnem, from affectō (“I feign”). By surface analysis, affect + -ation.

Synonyms

eccentricitymannerismairs

This word in other languages

afectación(Español)affectation(Français)Geschraubtheit(Deutsch)

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 "affectation"?
"affectation" is spelled A-F-F-E-C-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "affectation" mean?
As a noun, "affectation" means: An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show.
How do you pronounce "affectation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "affectation" is /ˌæf.ɛkˈteɪ.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 "affectation"?
From Middle French affectation and its etymon Latin affectātiōnem, from affectō (“I feign”). By surface analysis, affect + -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 "affectation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ballesteros#67,234vigilantism#67,151variational#67,145unspeakably#67,134

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list