aggravation

Name: aggravation, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən/

//ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“aggravation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #38,711 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#38,711
frequency rank, English: 11
letters: 15
tracked misspellings: 2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of aggravating, or making worse; used of evils, natural or moral; the act of increasing in severity or heinousness; something additional to a crime or wrong and enhancing its guilt or injur...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

aggravation vs aggregation

82% similar

aggravation vs aggravating

82% similar

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

Key facts for aggravation
Property	Value
Headword	aggravation
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#38,711
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	2
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aggravation” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). aggravation lands here:

#38,711

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for aggravation is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #38,711 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for aggravation, with forms such as "aggarvation", "aggraavtion", and "aggravaiton". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "aggregation", "aggravating", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French aggravation. The correct English form is aggravation, spelled A-G-G-R-A-V-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

1
The act of aggravating, or making worse; used of evils, natural or moral; the act of increasing in severity or heinousness; something additional to a crime or wrong and enhancing its guilt or injurious consequences.
2
Exaggerated representation.
3
An extrinsic circumstance or accident which increases the guilt of a crime or the misery of a calamity.
4
Provocation, irritation, annoyance.

Etymology

From Middle French aggravation.

This word in other languages

agravio(Español)circonstances aggravantes(Français)Verärgerung(Deutsch)agravamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aggarvation,aggraavtion,aggravaiton,aggravasion,aggravatino,aggravationn,aggravatoin,aggravattion,aggravtaion,aggravvation,aggrravation,aggrvaation,agravation,agrgavation,gagravation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of aggravation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "aggravation"

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 "aggravation"?

"aggravation" is spelled A-G-G-R-A-V-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən/.

What does "aggravation" mean?

As a noun, "aggravation" means: The act of aggravating, or making worse; used of evils, natural or moral; the act of increasing in severity or heinousness; something additional to a crime or wrong and enhancing its guilt or injur...

What words are commonly confused with "aggravation"?

"aggravation" is commonly confused with "aggregation", "aggravating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "aggravation"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aggravation" is /ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən/. 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 "aggravation"?

From Middle French aggravation. 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.

Using “aggravation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is A-G-G-R-A-V-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˌæɡɹəˈveɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “aggregation” - see the side-by-side comparison. aggravation vs aggregation
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.