commutation

/kɒmjuːˈteɪʃən/

//kɒmjuːˈteɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“commutation” is uncommon English (frequency #57,300 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,300
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Substitution of one thing for another; interchange.

Corpus desk

Index EN-commutation · commutation · English

commutation · rank #57,300 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,300
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH concoct

Nearest frequency peer: concoct (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “commutation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “commutation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for commutation
PropertyValue
Headwordcommutation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒmjuːˈteɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#57,300
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “commutation” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).commutationfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “concoct” (#57,301), “cloistered” (#57,296), “cooing” (#57,304). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “commutation” is #57,300. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

commutation is uncommon English at frequency #57,300 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɒmjuːˈteɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

commutation doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French commutation, from Latin commūtātiōnem, accusative singular of commūtātiō. The correct English form is commutation, spelled C-O-M-M-U-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Substitution of one thing for another; interchange.
  2. 2
    Specifically, the substitution of one kind of payment for another, especially a switch to monetary payment from obligations of labour.
  3. 3
    The change to a lesser penalty or punishment by the State
  4. 4
    Substitution, as a means of discriminating between phonemes.
  5. 5
    The reversal of an electric current.
  6. 6
    A passing from one state to another; change; alteration; mutation.
  7. 7
    The act of giving one thing for another; barter; exchange.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Professor Postan has argued in favour of a rapid move towards commutation in the twelfth century which slackened or even went into reverse in the course of the thirteenth.
  2. Monsieur the Marquis de Sade [was] now holed up in one of his châteaux while his wife worked for the commutation of a sentence passed on him recently for poisoning and buggery.

Etymology

From French commutation, from Latin commūtātiōnem, accusative singular of commūtātiō.

This word in other languages

indulto(Español)

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 "commutation"?
"commutation" is spelled C-O-M-M-U-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kɒmjuːˈteɪʃən/.
What does "commutation" mean?
As a noun, "commutation" means: Substitution of one thing for another; interchange.
How do you pronounce "commutation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commutation" is /kɒmjuːˈteɪʃən/. 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 "commutation"?
From French commutation, from Latin commūtātiōnem, accusative singular of commūtātiō. 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 "commutation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Centerville#57,285deliverable#57,331destitution#57,336disillusion#57,344

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list