constitution

/ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/

//ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n// noun

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

"constitution" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“constitution” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,661. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,661
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.

Corpus desk

Index EN-constitution · constitution · English

constitution · rank #2,661 · 19 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,661
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH combat

Nearest frequency peer: combat (-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 “constitution”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “constitution” 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).

constitution vs constitutive
83% similar
constitution vs constitutional
86% similar
constitution vs constipation
83% similar

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

Key facts for constitution
PropertyValue
Headwordconstitution
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/
Letters12
Frequency rank#2,661
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “constitution”

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).constitutionlands 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 “combat” (#2,660), “consumer” (#2,662), “button” (#2,658). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “constitution” is #2,661. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around constitution (IPA /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,661 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for constitution, with forms such as "cconstitution", "cnostitution", and "connstitution". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "constitutive", "constitutional", "constipation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constitucioun, constitucion (“edict, law, ordinance, regulation, rule, statute; body of laws or rules, or customs; body of fundamental principles; principle or rule (of science); creation”) from Old French constitucion (mo… The correct English form is constitution, spelled C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.
  2. 2
    The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions.
  3. 3
    A legal document describing such a formal system.
  4. 4
    A document issued by a religious authority serving to promulgate some particular church laws or doctrines.
  5. 5
    A person's physical makeup or temperament, especially in respect of robustness.
  6. 6
    The general health of a person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the physical constitution of the sun
  2. 1693, Edmund Bohun, A Geographical Dictionary They have in their present Constitution a Grand Council of the Nobility, a Senato, a College of Twenty six who give Audience to Ambassadors and report their Demands to the Senate, a Council of Ten; and a Triumvirate (monthly chosen by, and out of, the Ten) of three Inquisitors of State; whose Authority is so a…

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constitucioun, constitucion (“edict, law, ordinance, regulation, rule, statute; body of laws or rules, or customs; body of fundamental principles; principle or rule (of science); creation”) from Old French constitucion (modern French constitution), a learned borrowing from Latin cōnstitūtiō, cōnstitūtiōnem (“character, constitution, disposition, nature; definition; point in dispute; order, regulation; arrangement, system”), from cōnstituō (“to establish, set up; to confirm; to decide, resolve”). Equivalent to constitute + -ion.

This word in other languages

constitución(Español)constitution(Français)Verfassen(Deutsch)constituição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconstitution
  • cnostitution
  • connstitution
  • consittution
  • consstitution
  • constittuion
  • constittution
  • constituiton
  • constitusion
  • constitutino
  • constitutionn
  • constitutoin
  • constituttion
  • constiuttion
  • consttitution
  • consttiution
  • contsitution
  • cosntitution
  • ocnstitution

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconstitution1cnostitution2connstitution1consittution2consstitution1constittuion2constittution1constituiton2
Edit distance from "constitution"

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 "constitution"?
"constitution" is spelled C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/.
What does "constitution" mean?
As a noun, "constitution" means: The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.
What words are commonly confused with "constitution"?
"constitution" is commonly confused with "constitutive", "constitutional", "constipation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "constitution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "constitution" is /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/. 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 "constitution"?
PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constitucioun, constitucion (“edict, law, ordinance, regulation, rule, statute; body of laws or rules, or customs; body of fundamental principles; principle or rule (of science); creation”) from Old French consti... 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 "constitution", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

institutions#2,583independence#2,582championship#2,778conservative#2,433

Similar misspelling depth

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

communications19 variantsintroduction19 variantsdistribution19 variantscontemporary19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list