affiliation

/əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/

//əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“affiliation” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,357. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,357
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The relationship resulting from affiliating one thing with another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-affiliation · affiliation · English

affiliation · rank #12,357 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,357
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aggressively

Nearest frequency peer: aggressively (+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 “affiliation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “affiliation” 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).

affiliation vs affliction
82% similar
affiliation vs affirmation
82% similar

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

Key facts for affiliation
PropertyValue
Headwordaffiliation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#12,357
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “affiliation”

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).affiliationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “aggressively” (#12,358), “align” (#12,359), “accessory” (#12,354). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “affiliation” is #12,357. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around affiliation (IPA /əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,357 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for affiliation, with forms such as "affiilation", "affilaition", and "affiliaiton". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "affliction", "affirmation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French affiliation, from Latin affiliatiō, noun of action from verb affiliō, from af- (form of ad- (“to”) before an f) + filiō (from filius (“son”)). The correct English form is affiliation, spelled A-F-F-I-L-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The relationship resulting from affiliating one thing with another.
  2. 2
    The establishment of a child's paternity or maternity.
  3. 3
    A club, society or umbrella organisation so formed, especially a trade union.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] he did not […] forget to write to Mark a stinging letter in which he stated that if he refused to accept his responsibilities he would see that an action for affiliation was brought against him.
  2. If the defendant is adjudged to be the father, an affiliation order can be made under which he will be obliged to pay any expenses incidental to the birth and to pay a weekly sum for the maintenance and education of the child.

Etymology

From French affiliation, from Latin affiliatiō, noun of action from verb affiliō, from af- (form of ad- (“to”) before an f) + filiō (from filius (“son”)).

This word in other languages

afiliación(Español)Zugehörigkeit(Deutsch)filiação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • affiilation
  • affilaition
  • affiliaiton
  • affiliasion
  • affiliatino
  • affiliationn
  • affiliatoin
  • affiliattion
  • affilitaion
  • affilliation
  • affliiation
  • afifliation
  • afiliation
  • fafiliation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

affiilation2affilaition2affiliaiton2affiliasion1affiliatino2affiliationn1affiliatoin2affiliattion1
Edit distance from "affiliation"

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 "affiliation"?
"affiliation" is spelled A-F-F-I-L-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/.
What does "affiliation" mean?
As a noun, "affiliation" means: The relationship resulting from affiliating one thing with another.
What words are commonly confused with "affiliation"?
"affiliation" is commonly confused with "affliction", "affirmation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "affiliation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "affiliation" is /əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/. 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 "affiliation"?
From French affiliation, from Latin affiliatiō, noun of action from verb affiliō, from af- (form of ad- (“to”) before an f) + filiō (from filius (“son”)). 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 "affiliation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

broadcaster#12,379conflicting#12,393cultivation#12,398enhancement#12,417

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

astronomy14 variantssupremacy14 variantsbothering14 variantssubstrate14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list