anticipation

/ænˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.ʃən/

//ænˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"anticipation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anticipation” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,487. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,487
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of anticipating, taking up, placing, or considering something beforehand, or before the proper time in natural order.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anticipation · anticipation · English

anticipation · rank #10,487 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,487
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH amusement

Nearest frequency peer: amusement (-2 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 “anticipation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “anticipation” 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
Key facts for anticipation
PropertyValue
Headwordanticipation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ænˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.ʃən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#10,487
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anticipation”

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).anticipationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “amusement” (#10,485), “appropriately” (#10,489), “Americas” (#10,484). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anticipation” is #10,487. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around anticipation (IPA /ænˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,487 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for anticipation, with forms such as "anitcipation", "annticipation", and "antciipation". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English anticipacioun, from Middle French anticipation and its etymon Latin anticipātiō, anticipātiōnem. The correct English form is anticipation, spelled A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of anticipating, taking up, placing, or considering something beforehand, or before the proper time in natural order.
  2. 2
    The eagerness associated with waiting for something to occur.
  3. 3
    Prepayment of a debt, generally in order to pay less interest.
  4. 4
    Prolepsis.
  5. 5
    A non-harmonic tone that is lower or higher than a note in the previous chord and a unison to a note in the next chord.
  6. 6
    Hasty notion; intuitive preconception.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Often the anticipation of a shot is worse than the pain of the stick.
  2. So shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the king and queen moult no feather.

Etymology

From Middle English anticipacioun, from Middle French anticipation and its etymon Latin anticipātiō, anticipātiōnem.

Synonyms

expectingness

This word in other languages

previsión(Español)Erwartung(Deutsch)antecipação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anitcipation
  • annticipation
  • antciipation
  • anticcipation
  • anticiaption
  • anticipaiton
  • anticipasion
  • anticipatino
  • anticipationn
  • anticipatoin
  • anticipattion
  • anticippation
  • anticiptaion
  • anticpiation
  • antiicpation
  • antticipation
  • atnicipation
  • naticipation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anticipation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

anitcipation2annticipation1antciipation2anticcipation1anticiaption2anticipaiton2anticipasion1anticipatino2
Edit distance from "anticipation"

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 "anticipation"?
"anticipation" is spelled A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ænˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "anticipation" mean?
As a noun, "anticipation" means: The act of anticipating, taking up, placing, or considering something beforehand, or before the proper time in natural order.
What are common misspellings of "anticipation"?
Common misspellings include "anitcipation", "annticipation", "antciipation", "anticcipation", "anticiaption". The correct spelling is "anticipation".
How do you pronounce "anticipation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anticipation" is /ænˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.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 "anticipation"?
From Middle English anticipacioun, from Middle French anticipation and its etymon Latin anticipātiō, anticipātiōnem. 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 "anticipation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unreasonable#10,470disciplinary#10,353acceleration#10,640resurrection#10,271

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

appropriately18 variantscomfortably18 variantsdisappearance18 variantsexceptionally18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list