collation

/kəˈleɪʃən/

//kəˈleɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“collation” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,383. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,383
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bringing together.

Corpus desk

Index EN-collation · collation · English

collation · rank #46,383 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,383
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clicker

Nearest frequency peer: clicker (-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 “collation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “collation” 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).

collation vs collision
78% similar
collation vs collusion
78% similar
collation vs collection
80% similar

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

Key facts for collation
PropertyValue
Headwordcollation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈleɪʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#46,383
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “collation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).collationlands 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 “clicker” (#46,382), “clack” (#46,381), “circumscribed” (#46,379). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “collation” is #46,383. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around collation (IPA /kəˈleɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,383 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for collation, with forms such as "ccollation", "clolation", and "colaltion". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "collision", "collusion", "collection", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English collacioun, collation, from Old French collation, from Latin collatiō, from the participle stem of cōnferō (“to bring together”). The correct English form is collation, spelled C-O-L-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bringing together.
  2. 2
    Bringing together.
  3. 3
    Bringing together.
  4. 4
    Discussion, light meal.
  5. 5
    Discussion, light meal.
  6. 6
    Discussion, light meal.
  7. 7
    Discussion, light meal.
  8. 8
    Discussion, light meal.
  9. 9
    The presentation of a clergyman to a benefice by a bishop, who has it in his own gift.
  10. 10
    The blending together of property so as to achieve equal division, mainly in the case of inheritance.
  11. 11
    An heir's right to combine the whole heritable and movable estates of the deceased into one mass, sharing it equally with others who are of the same degree of kindred.
  12. 12
    The act of conferring or bestowing.
  13. 13
    Presentation to a benefice.
  14. 14
    The specification of how character data should be treated stored and sorted.
  15. 15
    The process of establishing a corrected text of a work by comparing differing manuscripts or editions of it; also used to describe the work resulting from such a process.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. November 8, 1717, The Bishop of Rochester, letter to Alexander Pope I return you your Milton, which, upon collation, I find to be revised, and augmented, in several places
  2. The collation of philosophical opinions, the study of historical facts, the acquirement of languages, were at once my recreation, and the serious aim of my life.

Etymology

From Middle English collacioun, collation, from Old French collation, from Latin collatiō, from the participle stem of cōnferō (“to bring together”).

This word in other languages

colación(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccollation
  • clolation
  • colaltion
  • colation
  • collaiton
  • collasion
  • collatino
  • collationn
  • collatoin
  • collattion
  • colltaion
  • ocllation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccollation1clolation2colaltion2colation1collaiton2collasion1collatino2collationn1
Edit distance from "collation"

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 "collation"?
"collation" is spelled C-O-L-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈleɪʃən/.
What does "collation" mean?
As a noun, "collation" means: Bringing together.
What words are commonly confused with "collation"?
"collation" is commonly confused with "collision", "collusion", "collection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "collation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collation" is /kəˈleɪʃən/. 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 "collation"?
From Middle English collacioun, collation, from Old French collation, from Latin collatiō, from the participle stem of cōnferō (“to bring together”). 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 "collation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

chambered#46,373Cavanaugh#46,368Catharine#46,367cacophony#46,357

Similar misspelling depth

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

cenotaph12 variantscastaway12 variantsDagestan12 variantsdismount12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list