Californication
/ˌkælɪˈfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən/
"californication" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Californication” is uncommon English (frequency #66,538 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #66,538
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The adoption of practices and beliefs associated with California, in particular Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Californication |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌkælɪˈfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 15 |
| Frequency rank | #66,538 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Californication” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Californication is uncommon English at frequency #66,538 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkælɪˈfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Californication, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Californ(ia) + -ication. First use appears c. 1947. Especially popularized by the use as title for a song (1999) and a TV series (2007–2014). Some folk interpretations often rebracket it as Cali + fornication for humorous or derogatory effect. The correct English form is Californication, spelled C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The adoption of practices and beliefs associated with California, in particular Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
- 2The large-scale development of land; urban sprawl.
Etymology
From Californ(ia) + -ication. First use appears c. 1947. Especially popularized by the use as title for a song (1999) and a TV series (2007–2014). Some folk interpretations often rebracket it as Cali + fornication for humorous or derogatory effect.
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 "Californication"?
What does "Californication" mean?
How do you pronounce "Californication"?
What is the origin of the word "Californication"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Californication”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌkælɪˈfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.