attestation

/ˌæt.ɛˈsteɪ.ʃən/

//ˌæt.ɛˈsteɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“attestation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,321. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,321
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thing that serves to bear witness, confirm, or authenticate; validation, verification, documentation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-attestation · attestation · English

attestation · rank #46,321 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #46,321
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ATR

Nearest frequency peer: ATR (-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 “attestation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “attestation” 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).

attestation vs attenuation
82% similar

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

Key facts for attestation
PropertyValue
Headwordattestation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæt.ɛˈsteɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#46,321
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “attestation”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).attestationlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “ATR” (#46,320), “aways” (#46,322), “Atchison” (#46,319). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “attestation” is #46,321. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around attestation (IPA /ˌæt.ɛˈsteɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,321 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for attestation, with forms such as "atestation", "atetstation", and "attesattion". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "attenuation", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French attestation, from Latin attestātiō; by surface analysis, attest + -ation. The correct English form is attestation, spelled A-T-T-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thing that serves to bear witness, confirm, or authenticate; validation, verification, documentation.
  2. 2
    A confirmation or authentication.
  3. 3
    The process, performed by accountants or auditors, of providing independent opinion on published financial and other business records of an enterprise, public agency, or other organization.
  4. 4
    An appearance in print or otherwise recorded on a permanent medium.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A historical dictionary cannot do this though it cannot also neglect this aspect because the attestation of a rare meaning is bound to be very limited.
  2. The eastern-most attestation of Sl skola in the meaning of synagogue appears to be in Smolensk Russian.

Etymology

From Middle French attestation, from Latin attestātiō; by surface analysis, attest + -ation.

This word in other languages

atestación(Español)attestation(Français)Bestätigung(Deutsch)atestação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atestation
  • atetstation
  • attesattion
  • attesstation
  • attestaiton
  • attestasion
  • attestatino
  • attestationn
  • attestatoin
  • attestattion
  • attesttaion
  • attesttation
  • attetsation
  • attsetation
  • tatestation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atestation1atetstation2attesattion2attesstation1attestaiton2attestasion1attestatino2attestationn1
Edit distance from "attestation"

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 "attestation"?
"attestation" is spelled A-T-T-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæt.ɛˈsteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "attestation" mean?
As a noun, "attestation" means: A thing that serves to bear witness, confirm, or authenticate; validation, verification, documentation.
What words are commonly confused with "attestation"?
"attestation" is commonly confused with "attenuation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "attestation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "attestation" is /ˌæt.ɛˈsteɪ.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 "attestation"?
From Middle French attestation, from Latin attestātiō; by surface analysis, attest + -ation. 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 "attestation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

vinaigrette#46,257conservator#46,396Copperfield#46,399unconvinced#46,237

Similar misspelling depth

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

Anglophone15 variantsyesteryear15 variantsunreadable15 variantsexpediency15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list