aviation

/ˌeɪ̯.viːˈeɪ̯.ʃən/

//ˌeɪ̯.viːˈeɪ̯.ʃən// noun

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

"aviation" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aviation” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,390. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,390
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The art or science of making and flying aircraft.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aviation · aviation · English

aviation · rank #5,390 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,390
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH attendance

Nearest frequency peer: attendance (-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 “aviation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “aviation” 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).

aviation vs aviator
75% similar
aviation vs ablation
75% similar
aviation vs animation
78% similar

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

Key facts for aviation
PropertyValue
Headwordaviation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌeɪ̯.viːˈeɪ̯.ʃən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,390
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “aviation”

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).aviationlands 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 “attendance” (#5,389), “barrel” (#5,391), “artistic” (#5,388). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aviation” is #5,390. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around aviation (IPA /ˌeɪ̯.viːˈeɪ̯.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,390 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for aviation, with forms such as "aivation", "avaition", and "aviaiton". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "aviator", "ablation", "animation", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French aviation, derived from Latin avis (“bird”). By surface analysis, avi- + -ation. The correct English form is aviation, spelled A-V-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The art or science of making and flying aircraft.
  2. 2
    Flying, operating, or operation of aircraft.
  3. 3
    Industry that produces aircraft.
  4. 4
    Aircraft.
  5. 5
    A cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The history of aviation is full of daring pioneers.
  2. He works in the aviation industry as a pilot.

Etymology

Borrowed from French aviation, derived from Latin avis (“bird”). By surface analysis, avi- + -ation.

This word in other languages

aviación(Español)aviation(Français)Luftfahrt(Deutsch)aviação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aivation
  • avaition
  • aviaiton
  • aviasion
  • aviatino
  • aviationn
  • aviatoin
  • aviattion
  • avitaion
  • avviation
  • vaiation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aivation2avaition2aviaiton2aviasion1aviatino2aviationn1aviatoin2aviattion1
Edit distance from "aviation"

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 "aviation"?
"aviation" is spelled A-V-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌeɪ̯.viːˈeɪ̯.ʃən/.
What does "aviation" mean?
As a noun, "aviation" means: The art or science of making and flying aircraft.
What words are commonly confused with "aviation"?
"aviation" is commonly confused with "aviator", "ablation", "animation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aviation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aviation" is /ˌeɪ̯.viːˈeɪ̯.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 "aviation"?
Borrowed from French aviation, derived from Latin avis (“bird”). By surface analysis, avi- + -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 "aviation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

artistic#5,388adoption#5,384charging#5,397colonial#5,401

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

stressed11 variantsdecrease11 variantsdefeated11 variantsdiabetes11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list