coloration

noun

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

"coloration" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coloration” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,498. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,498
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-coloration · coloration · English

coloration · rank #28,498 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,498
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH connective

Nearest frequency peer: connective (+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 “coloration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “coloration” 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).

coloration vs coronation
80% similar
coloration vs corporation
82% similar
coloration vs collation
80% similar

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

Key facts for coloration
PropertyValue
Headwordcoloration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#28,498
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “coloration”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “connective” (#28,499), “cog” (#28,496), “cray” (#28,500). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “coloration” is #28,498. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around coloration, anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,498 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for coloration, with forms such as "ccoloration", "clooration", and "colloration". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "coronation", "corporation", "collation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French coloration, from Latin colōrātiō. The correct English form is coloration, spelled C-O-L-O-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or art of coloring.
  2. 2
    The quality of being colored.
  3. 3
    A notational device for indicating hemiola through either use of red ink (in mensural black notation) or black noteheads (in mensural white notation).
  4. 4
    Ornamental division (also called passaggi, glosas, diminutions. etc.) employing rapid black notes.
  5. 5
    Political tendency.
  6. 6
    This when a consonant bleeds one of the qualities to the next vowel before the consonant disappears. This can describe PIE Laryngeal Theory.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Numerous studies of family imprint upon offspring party attachment have shown that, when the father and mother agree politically, the children are likely to adopt the political coloration of their parents.
  2. The party was not organized as an Irish political vehicle, but from the first it had a decidedly Gaelic coloration.

Etymology

From French coloration, from Latin colōrātiō.

This word in other languages

coloración(Español)coloration(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccoloration
  • clooration
  • colloration
  • coloartion
  • coloraiton
  • colorasion
  • coloratino
  • colorationn
  • coloratoin
  • colorattion
  • colorration
  • colortaion
  • colroation
  • coolration
  • ocloration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coloration - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccoloration1clooration2colloration1coloartion2coloraiton2colorasion1coloratino2colorationn1
Edit distance from "coloration"

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 "coloration"?
"coloration" is spelled C-O-L-O-R-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "coloration" mean?
As a noun, "coloration" means: The act or art of coloring.
What words are commonly confused with "coloration"?
"coloration" is commonly confused with "coronation", "corporation", "collation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "coloration"?
From French coloration, from Latin colōrātiō. 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 "coloration", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

connective#28,499dissection#28,517dissimilar#28,518eucalyptus#28,533

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

cannibalism15 variantsBabylonian15 variantsexorbitant15 variantsambivalent15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list