alternation

/ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/

//ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“alternation” is uncommon English (frequency #50,929 among 35,202 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,929
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence

Key facts for alternation
PropertyValue
Headwordalternation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#50,929
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alternation” 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). alternation lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

alternation is uncommon English at frequency #50,929 among 35,202 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for alternation, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin alternatio; compare French alternation. By surface analysis, alternate + -ion. The correct English form is alternation, spelled A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence
  2. 2
    The response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister.
  3. 3
    Ablaut.
  4. 4
    A pattern by which more than one construct is possible, as with "Alice cooked Bob dinner" and "Alice cooked dinner for Bob".
  5. 5
    The "inclusive or" truth function.
  6. 6
    A sequence that alternates between positive and negative values.
  7. 7
    A permutation.
  8. 8
    A construct in a regular expression that can match any of several specified subexpressions.
  9. 9
    A type of partial truncation of a polygon, polyhedron or tiling in which alternate vertices are removed.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alternatio; compare French alternation. By surface analysis, alternate + -ion.

This word in other languages

alternancia(Español)alternance(Français)alternância(Português)

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 "alternation"?
"alternation" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/.
What does "alternation" mean?
As a noun, "alternation" means: The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence
How do you pronounce "alternation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alternation" is /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.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 "alternation"?
Learned borrowing from Latin alternatio; compare French alternation. By surface analysis, alternate + -ion. 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 “alternation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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