collocation

/ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"collocation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“collocation” is uncommon English (frequency #92,478 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,478
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The grouping or juxtaposition of things, especially words or sounds.

Key facts for collocation
PropertyValue
Headwordcollocation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#92,478
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “collocation” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). collocation lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

collocation is uncommon English at frequency #92,478 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

collocation has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin collocātiō (“a putting together”). By surface analysis, col- (“together”) + location. The technical sense in linguistics was established in 1951, although it may actually be earlier. First attested in 1605. The correct English form is collocation, spelled C-O-L-L-O-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The grouping or juxtaposition of things, especially words or sounds.
  2. 2
    Such a specific grouping.
  3. 3
    A sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance (i.e., the statistically significant placement of particular words in a language), often representing an established name for, or idiomatic way of conveying, a particular semantic concept.
  4. 4
    A method of finding an approximate solution of an ordinary differential equation L[y]=0 by determining coefficients in an expansion y(x)=y_0(x)+∑ₗ₌₀^qαₗy_l(x) so as to make L[y] vanish at prescribed points; the expansion with the coefficients thus found is the sought approximation.
  5. 5
    A service allowing multiple customers to locate network, server, and storage gear and connect them to a variety of telecommunications and network service providers, at a minimum of cost and complexity.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin collocātiō (“a putting together”). By surface analysis, col- (“together”) + location. The technical sense in linguistics was established in 1951, although it may actually be earlier. First attested in 1605.

This word in other languages

colocación(Español)collocation(Français)Zusammenstellung(Deutsch)colocação(Português)

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 "collocation"?
"collocation" is spelled C-O-L-L-O-C-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "collocation" mean?
As a noun, "collocation" means: The grouping or juxtaposition of things, especially words or sounds.
How do you pronounce "collocation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collocation" is /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.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 "collocation"?
Learned borrowing from Latin collocātiō (“a putting together”). By surface analysis, col- (“together”) + location. The technical sense in linguistics was established in 1951, although it may actually be earlier. First attested in 1605. 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.

Using “collocation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-L-O-C-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list