causation

/kɔːˈzeɪ.ʃən/

//kɔːˈzeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"causation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“causation” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,315. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,315
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of causing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-causation · causation · English

causation · rank #25,315 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,315
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH catered

Nearest frequency peer: catered (-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 “causation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “causation” 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).

causation vs caution
78% similar
causation vs curation
78% similar
causation vs cessation
78% similar

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

Key facts for causation
PropertyValue
Headwordcausation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔːˈzeɪ.ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,315
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “causation”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).causationlands 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 “catered” (#25,314), “centerpiece” (#25,316), “chameleon” (#25,317). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “causation” is #25,315. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around causation (IPA /kɔːˈzeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,315 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for causation, with forms such as "casuation", "cauastion", and "causaiton". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "caution", "curation", "cessation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cause + -ation. The correct English form is causation, spelled C-A-U-S-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of causing.
  2. 2
    The act or agency by which an effect is produced.
  3. 3
    Cause and effect, considered as a system.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Aristotle's views led him to try to describe the kind of causation by which vision is produced, instead of the laws by which it is exercised; and the attempt consisted, as in other subjects, of indistinct principles, and ill-combined facts.

Etymology

From cause + -ation.

This word in other languages

causation(Français)Ursache(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • casuation
  • cauastion
  • causaiton
  • causasion
  • causatino
  • causationn
  • causatoin
  • causattion
  • caussation
  • caustaion
  • ccausation
  • cuasation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of causation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

casuation2cauastion2causaiton2causasion1causatino2causationn1causatoin2causattion1
Edit distance from "causation"

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 "causation"?
"causation" is spelled C-A-U-S-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔːˈzeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "causation" mean?
As a noun, "causation" means: The act of causing.
What words are commonly confused with "causation"?
"causation" is commonly confused with "caution", "curation", "cessation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "causation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "causation" is /kɔːˈzeɪ.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 "causation"?
From cause + -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 "causation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chameleon#25,317burlesque#25,304Confucius#25,329craziness#25,338

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

campfire12 variantscreditor12 variantsderelict12 variantsdissident12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list