constipation
/ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən/
"constipation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“constipation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,710 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,710
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 19
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A state of the bowels in which the evacuations are infrequent and difficult, or the intestines become filled with hardened faeces.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | constipation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #24,710 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “constipation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for constipation is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,710 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for constipation, with forms such as "cconstipation", "cnostipation", and "connstipation". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "constitution", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the beginning of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English constipacioun, borrowed from Medieval Latin constīpātiō or its Old French equivalent, from cōnstīpō + -tiō. By surface analysis, constipate + -ion. The correct English form is constipation, spelled C-O-N-S-T-I-P-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A state of the bowels in which the evacuations are infrequent and difficult, or the intestines become filled with hardened faeces.
- 2The act of crowding anything into a lesser space, or the state of being crowded or pressed together; condensation.
Etymology
First attested in the beginning of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English constipacioun, borrowed from Medieval Latin constīpātiō or its Old French equivalent, from cōnstīpō + -tiō. By surface analysis, constipate + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cconstipation,cnostipation,connstipation,consitpation,consstipation,constiaption,constipaiton,constipasion,constipatino,constipationn,constipatoin,constipattion,constippation,constiptaion,constpiation,consttipation,contsipation,cosntipation,ocnstipation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of constipation - 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.
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 "constipation"?
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Using “constipation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-S-T-I-P-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “constitution” - see the side-by-side comparison. constipation vs constitution
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.