constitution
/ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/
"constitution" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“constitution” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,661 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #2,661
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 19
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.
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 | constitution |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #2,661 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “constitution” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for constitution is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,661 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 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
- 1The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.
- 2The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions.
- 3A legal document describing such a formal system.
- 4A document issued by a religious authority serving to promulgate some particular church laws or doctrines.
- 5A person's physical makeup or temperament, especially in respect of robustness.
- 6The general health of a person.
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
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.
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"?
What does "constitution" mean?
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Using “constitution”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “constitutive” - see the side-by-side comparison. constitution vs constitutive
- 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.