carnation
/kɑɹˈneɪ.ʃən/noun, adjective
carnation is spelled C-A-R-N-A-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, carnation means “originally, Dianthus caryophyllus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of carnation is carnations.
How many letters and syllables are in carnation?
| Letters | 9: C-A-R-N-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,660th 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 carnation?
Carnation appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th 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 carnation?
- UK /kɑːˈneɪ.ʃən/
- US /kɑɹˈneɪ.ʃən/
Carnation has 3 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: En-us-carnation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with carnation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as carnation 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 carnation
- carnations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does carnation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
originally, Dianthus caryophyllus
- 2
other members of genus Dianthus and hybrids
- 3
The type of flower they bear, originally flesh-coloured, but since hybridizing found in a variety of colours.
- 4
A rosy pink colour
- 5
archaicThe pinkish colors used in art to render human face and flesh
- 6
A scarlet colour.
adjective
- 1
Of a rosy pink or red colour.
- 2
archaicOf a human flesh color.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Carnation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 carnation come from?
From Middle French carnation (“flesh color, complexion”), either via Italian carnagione (“flesh color”) or directly from Late Latin carnātiō (“fleshiness”), from Latin carō (“flesh, meat”) + ātiō (“-ation”). As a flower and its color, possibly instead from corruption in French of coronation (“crowning, crowned thing”) under the influence of carnation, from the flower's supposed resemblance to a crown. By surface analysis, Latin carn- + -ate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).