consternation

/ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/

//ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“consternation” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,502. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,502
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
21
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.

Corpus desk

Index EN-consternation · consternation · English

consternation · rank #36,502 · 21 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,502
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conspire

Nearest frequency peer: conspire (-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 “consternation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “consternation” 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).

consternation vs conservation
85% similar
consternation vs constellation
85% similar

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

Key facts for consternation
PropertyValue
Headwordconsternation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#36,502
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “consternation”

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).consternationlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “conspire” (#36,501), “corneal” (#36,503), “cornet” (#36,504). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “consternation” is #36,502. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around consternation (IPA /ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,502 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for consternation, with forms such as "cconsternation", "cnosternation", and "connsternation". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "conservation", "constellation", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French consternation, from Latin consternātiō. The correct English form is consternation, spelled C-O-N-S-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Out!" exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation in his voice.
  2. Their audience had been listening in increasing consternation.

Etymology

From French consternation, from Latin consternātiō.

This word in other languages

consternación(Español)consternation(Français)Bestürzung(Deutsch)consternação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconsternation
  • cnosternation
  • connsternation
  • consetrnation
  • conssternation
  • constenration
  • consterantion
  • consternaiton
  • consternasion
  • consternatino
  • consternationn
  • consternatoin
  • consternattion
  • consternnation
  • consterntaion
  • consterrnation
  • constrenation
  • constternation
  • contsernation
  • cosnternation
  • ocnsternation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of consternation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cconsternation1cnosternation2connsternation1consetrnation2conssternation1constenration2consterantion2consternaiton2
Edit distance from "consternation"

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 "consternation"?
"consternation" is spelled C-O-N-S-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/.
What does "consternation" mean?
As a noun, "consternation" means: Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.
What words are commonly confused with "consternation"?
"consternation" is commonly confused with "conservation", "constellation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "consternation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "consternation" is /ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.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 "consternation"?
From French consternation, from Latin consternātiō. 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 "consternation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

discoloration#36,523encyclopaedia#36,540victimization#36,391protectionism#36,719

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (21 here; floor ≥5).

hybridization21 variantsdisillusionment21 variantscategorization21 variantsbioinformatics21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list