alteration

/ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.ʃən/

//ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“alteration” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,754 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,754
frequency rank, English
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of altering or making different.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

alteration vs altercation
91% similar
alteration vs allegation
80% similar
alteration vs alienation
80% similar

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

Key facts for alteration
PropertyValue
Headwordalteration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#18,754
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alteration” 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). alteration lands here:

#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 alteration is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,754 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 alteration, with forms such as "aletration", "allteration", and "alteartion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "altercation", "allegation", "alienation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French alteracion (French altération), from Medieval Latin alterātiō. Morphologically alter + -ation. The correct English form is alteration, spelled A-L-T-E-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of altering or making different.
  2. 2
    The act of altering or making different.
  3. 3
    The state of being altered; a change made in the form or nature of a thing; a changed condition.

Etymology

From Old French alteracion (French altération), from Medieval Latin alterātiō. Morphologically alter + -ation.

This word in other languages

alteración(Español)altération(Français)Änderung(Deutsch)alteração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aletration,allteration,alteartion,alteraiton,alterasion,alteratino,alterationn,alteratoin,alterattion,alterration,altertaion,altreation,altteration,atleration,lateration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aletration2allteration1alteartion2alteraiton2alterasion1alteratino2alterationn1alteratoin2
Edit distance from "alteration"

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 "alteration"?
"alteration" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "alteration" mean?
As a noun, "alteration" means: The act of altering or making different.
What words are commonly confused with "alteration"?
"alteration" is commonly confused with "altercation", "allegation", "alienation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alteration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alteration" is /ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.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 "alteration"?
From Old French alteracion (French altération), from Medieval Latin alterātiō. Morphologically alter + -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.

Using “alteration”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-T-E-R-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɒl.tə(ɹ)ˈeɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “altercation” - see the side-by-side comparison. alteration vs altercation
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list