aspiration
/ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/noun
aspiration is spelled A-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, aspiration means “The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly after what is elevated or spiritual (with common adjunct adpositions…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of aspiration is aspirations.
How many letters and syllables are in aspiration?
| Letters | 10: A-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is aspiration?
Aspiration appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce aspiration?
- US /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/
- Australia /ˌæspəˈɹæɪʃən/
- /ˌɛspəˈɹæɪʃən/
Aspiration has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-aspiration.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-JutishMale-aspiration.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with aspiration?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as aspiration from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of aspiration
- aspirations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does aspiration mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly after what is elevated or spiritual (with common adjunct adpositions being to and of).
Riley has an aspiration to become a doctor.
- 2
The action of aspirating.
- 3
A burst of air that follows the release of some consonants.
In Cambodian, aspiration is phonemic, so /p/ and /pʰ/ are different phonemes.
- 4
The withdrawal of fluid, tissue, or other substance, usually through a hollow needle from a body cavity, cyst, or tumor.
- 5
The silent breaking h beginning some French words, largely of Germanic origin.
- 6
The process of lenition involving writing a digraph with h, especially at the beginning of a word.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Aspiration in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | aspiration |
| German | Verlangen, Sehnsucht, Aspiration , Behauchung |
| Portuguese | aspiração |
| Spanish | aspiración |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does aspiration come from?
From aspire + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).