-ation

/ˈeɪ̯.ʃən/

//ˈeɪ̯.ʃən// suffix

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

"ation" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“-ation” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a suffix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An action or process.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ation · -ation · English

-ation · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "-" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for -ation
PropertyValue
Headword-ation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechSuffix
IPA/ˈeɪ̯.ʃən/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “-ation” sits in English frequency

-ation falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

-ation is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed /ˈeɪ̯.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for -ation, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation Inherited from Middle English -acioun /-acion, derived from Old French -acion /-ation, derived from Latin… The correct English form is -ation, spelled --A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An action or process.
  2. 2
    The result of an action or process.
  3. 3
    A state or quality.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation Inherited from Middle English -acioun /-acion, derived from Old French -acion /-ation, derived from Latin -ātiō, an alternative form of -tiō (whence -tion). By surface analysis, -ate + -ion.

This word in other languages

-ación(Español)-ation(Français)-ation(Deutsch)-ção(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "-ation"?
"-ation" is spelled --A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ̯.ʃən/.
What does "-ation" mean?
As a suffix, "-ation" means: An action or process.
How do you pronounce "-ation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-ation" is /ˈeɪ̯.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 "-ation"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation Inherited from Middle English -acioun /-acion, derived from Old French -acion /-ation, derived ... 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.
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