configuration
/kənˌfɪɡ.jəˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/noun
configuration is spelled C-O-N-F-I-G-U-R-A-T-I-O-N: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, configuration means “The form of a thing, as depending on the relative placement of the parts of a thing's shape” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of configuration is configurations.
How many letters and syllables are in configuration?
| Letters | 13: C-O-N-F-I-G-U-R-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is configuration?
Configuration appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce configuration?
- UK /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/
- US /kənˌfɪɡ.jəˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/
- Australia /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹæɪ̯.ʃən/
Configuration has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-configuration.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with configuration?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as configuration from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of configuration
- configurations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does configuration mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The form of a thing, as depending on the relative placement of the parts of a thing's shape.
The engineers tested several configurations of the new device.
- 2
The relative positions of a set of things; the way things are arranged or put together;
- 3
The aspect of the planets; the face of the horoscope, according to the relative positions of the planets at any time.
- 4
The arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule, or other physical structure like a crystal.
- 5
A finite set of points and lines (and sometimes planes), generally with equal numbers of points per line and equal numbers of lines per point.
- 6
The way a computing environment (physical or software) is set up or customized to the needs of its users.
The software requires a specific configuration to run properly.
- 7
The process of customizing a computing environment in this way.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Configuration in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense relative positions of a set of things:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | configuration |
| German | Konfiguration |
| Portuguese | configuração |
| Spanish | configuración |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does configuration come from?
From Middle French configuration, from Latin cōnfigūrātiō. Morphologically configure + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).