appropriation

/əˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən/

//əˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən// noun

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

"appropriation" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“appropriation” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,291. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,291
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act or instance of appropriating.

Corpus desk

Index EN-appropriation · appropriation · English

appropriation · rank #17,291 · 18 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #17,291
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Antoine

Nearest frequency peer: Antoine (-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 “appropriation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “appropriation” 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).

appropriation vs appropriations
93% similar

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

Key facts for appropriation
PropertyValue
Headwordappropriation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#17,291
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “appropriation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).appropriationlands 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 “Antoine” (#17,290), “aria” (#17,292), “articulated” (#17,293). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “appropriation” is #17,291. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around appropriation (IPA /əˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,291 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for appropriation, with forms such as "apporpriation", "appropiration", and "approppriation". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "appropriations", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English appropriacion, appropriacioun, from Medieval Latin appropriātiō. By surface analysis, appropriate + -ion. The correct English form is appropriation, spelled A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act or instance of appropriating.
  2. 2
    That which is appropriated.
  3. 3
    Public funds set aside for a specific purpose.
  4. 4
    The use of borrowed elements in the creation of a new work.
  5. 5
    The assimilation of concepts into a governing framework.
  6. 6
    In church law, the making over of a benefice to an owner who receives the tithes, but is bound to appoint a vicar for the spiritual service of the parish.
  7. 7
    The principle that supplies granted by a legislature are only to be expended in the manner specified by that legislature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Bush said that GRNL had lost touch with the grassroots, and as a result was unable to push legislation and lobby for higher appropriations for AIDS.

Etymology

From Middle English appropriacion, appropriacioun, from Medieval Latin appropriātiō. By surface analysis, appropriate + -ion.

This word in other languages

apropiación(Español)Aneignung(Deutsch)apropriação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apporpriation
  • appropiration
  • approppriation
  • appropraition
  • appropriaiton
  • appropriasion
  • appropriatino
  • appropriationn
  • appropriatoin
  • appropriattion
  • appropritaion
  • approprriation
  • approrpiation
  • apprporiation
  • apprropriation
  • apropriation
  • aprpopriation
  • papropriation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apporpriation2appropiration2approppriation1appropraition2appropriaiton2appropriasion1appropriatino2appropriationn1
Edit distance from "appropriation"

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 "appropriation"?
"appropriation" is spelled A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən/.
What does "appropriation" mean?
As a noun, "appropriation" means: An act or instance of appropriating.
What words are commonly confused with "appropriation"?
"appropriation" is commonly confused with "appropriations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appropriation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appropriation" is /əˌpɹoʊpɹiˈeɪʃən/. 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 "appropriation"?
From Middle English appropriacion, appropriacioun, from Medieval Latin appropriātiō. By surface analysis, appropriate + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "appropriation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

incorporation#17,163multicultural#17,423controversies#17,110chronological#17,102

Similar misspelling depth

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

conglomerate18 variantsintimidation18 variantslegalization18 variantsauthoritative18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list