application

/ˌæp.lᵻˈkeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌæp.lᵻˈkeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“application” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,446. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,446
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of physically applying or laying on.

Corpus desk

Index EN-application · application · English

application · rank #1,446 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,446
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH App

Nearest frequency peer: App (-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 “application”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “application” 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).

application vs applicator
82% similar
application vs applications
92% similar

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

Key facts for application
PropertyValue
Headwordapplication
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæp.lᵻˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#1,446
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “application”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “App” (#1,445), “claims” (#1,447), “activity” (#1,444). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “application” is #1,446. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around application (IPA /ˌæp.lᵻˈkeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,446 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for application, with forms such as "aplication", "aplpication", and "appilcation". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "applicator", "applications", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin applicātiōbor. Old Fre… The correct English form is application, spelled A-P-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of physically applying or laying on.
  2. 2
    The substance applied.
  3. 3
    The act of applying as a means; the employment of means to accomplish an end; specific use.
  4. 4
    The act of directing or referring something to a particular case, to discover or illustrate agreement or disagreement, fitness, or correspondence.
  5. 5
    A computer program or the set of software that the end user perceives as a single entity as a tool for a well-defined purpose. (Also called: application program; application software.)
  6. 6
    A verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school, course or similar.
  7. 7
    A petition, entreaty, or other request, with the adposition for denoting the subject matter.
  8. 8
    The act of requesting, claiming, or petitioning something.
  9. 9
    Diligence; close thought or attention.
  10. 10
    A kind of needlework; appliqué.
  11. 11
    The substitution of a specific value for the parameter in the abstraction, in lambda calculus.
  12. 12
    Compliance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The application of this cream should reduce the swelling.
  2. His body was stripped, laid out upon a table, and covered with a hearsecloth, when some of his attendants perceived symptoms of returning animation, and by the use of warm applications, internal and external, gradually restored him to life.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin applicātiōbor. Old French aplicacionbor. Middle English applicacioun English application From Late Middle English applicacioun, borrowed from Old French aplicacion (French application), from Latin applicātiōnem, accusative singular of applicātiō (“attachment; application, inclination”), from applicō (“join to, attach; apply”). Equivalent to apply + -ication.

Synonyms

softwareprogramapp

This word in other languages

aplicación(Español)application(Français)Anwendung(Deutsch)aplicação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aplication
  • aplpication
  • appilcation
  • applciation
  • appliaction
  • applicaiton
  • applicasion
  • applicatino
  • applicationn
  • applicatoin
  • applicattion
  • appliccation
  • applictaion
  • appllication
  • paplication

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of application - 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.

aplication1aplpication2appilcation2applciation2appliaction2applicaiton2applicasion1applicatino2
Edit distance from "application"

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 "application"?
"application" is spelled A-P-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæp.lᵻˈkeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "application" mean?
As a noun, "application" means: The act of physically applying or laying on.
What words are commonly confused with "application"?
"application" is commonly confused with "applicator", "applications". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "application"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "application" is /ˌæp.lᵻˈkeɪ.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 "application"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin applicātiōbo... 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 "application", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

environment#1,424responsible#1,407traditional#1,545established#1,336

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

previously15 variantsChristmas15 variantsgeneration15 variantsfoundation15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list