constellation

/ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/

//ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"constellation" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“constellation” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,805. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,805
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an aste...

Corpus desk

Index EN-constellation · constellation · English

constellation · rank #17,805 · 19 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #17,805
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conserve

Nearest frequency peer: conserve (-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 “constellation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “constellation” 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).

constellation vs consternation
85% similar

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

Key facts for constellation
PropertyValue
Headwordconstellation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#17,805
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “constellation”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).constellationlands 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 “conserve” (#17,804), “contour” (#17,806), “compiler” (#17,803). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “constellation” is #17,805. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around constellation (IPA /ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,805 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for constellation, with forms such as "cconstellation", "cnostellation", and "connstellation". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "consternation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constellacioun, constillacioun (“(astrology) position of the moon or a planet in relation to the ascendant sign of the zodiac; horoscope; (astronomy) formation of fixed stars, constellation; (astronomy) elevation or positi… The correct English form is constellation, spelled C-O-N-S-T-E-L-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism.
  2. 2
    An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism.
  3. 3
    A configuration or grouping of related things.
  4. 4
    A configuration or grouping of related things.
  5. 5
    A configuration or grouping of related things.
  6. 6
    A configuration or grouping of related things.
  7. 7
    A configuration or grouping of related things.
  8. 8
    A configuration or grouping of related things.
  9. 9
    The configuration of planets at a given time (especially a person's birth), as believed to affect events on Earth, or used for determining a horoscope.
  10. 10
    A person's character or inclinations, supposedly determined by their horoscope.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Behold, the day of the Lord commeth, cruell both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land deſolate; and he ſhall deſtroy the ſinners thereof out of it. For the ſtarres of heauen, and the conſtellations thereof ſhall not giue their light: the ſunne ſhalbe darkened in his going forth, and the moone ſhall not cauſe her light to ſhine.
  2. Up, up, faire Bride, and call, / Thy ſtarres, from out their ſeverall boxes, take / Thy Rubies, Pearles, and Diamonds forth, and make / Thy ſelfe a conſtellation, of them All.

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constellacioun, constillacioun (“(astrology) position of the moon or a planet in relation to the ascendant sign of the zodiac; horoscope; (astronomy) formation of fixed stars, constellation; (astronomy) elevation or position of the sun”) [and other forms], borrowed from Old French constellation (modern French constellation), or directly from its etymon Late Latin cōnstēllātiōnem, the accusative singular of cōnstēllātiō (“collection of stars supposed to exert an influence upon human affairs, constellation”), from Latin con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several objects) + stēlla (“star; meteor; planet”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”)) + -ātiō (suffix forming nouns).

Synonyms

constellation

This word in other languages

constelación(Español)constellation(Français)Konstellation(Deutsch)constelação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconstellation
  • cnostellation
  • connstellation
  • consetllation
  • consstellation
  • constelaltion
  • constelation
  • constellaiton
  • constellasion
  • constellatino
  • constellationn
  • constellatoin
  • constellattion
  • constelltaion
  • constlelation
  • consttellation
  • contsellation
  • cosntellation
  • ocnstellation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconstellation1cnostellation2connstellation1consetllation2consstellation1constelaltion2constelation1constellaiton2
Edit distance from "constellation"

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 "constellation"?
"constellation" is spelled C-O-N-S-T-E-L-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/.
What does "constellation" mean?
As a noun, "constellation" means: An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an aste...
What words are commonly confused with "constellation"?
"constellation" is commonly confused with "consternation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "constellation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "constellation" is /ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.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 "constellation"?
PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constellacioun, constillacioun (“(astrology) position of the moon or a planet in relation to the ascendant sign of the zodiac; horoscope; (astronomy) formation of fixed stars, constellation; (astronomy) elevation... 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 "constellation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

interpersonal#17,866dysfunctional#18,064incarceration#18,107modernization#18,137

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

Newfoundland19 variantsmanslaughter19 variantsappropriations19 variantsbiochemistry19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list