contamination

/kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

//kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“contamination” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,187. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,187
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act or process of contaminating.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contamination · contamination · English

contamination · rank #11,187 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,187
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contaminated

Nearest frequency peer: contaminated (-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 “contamination”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contamination” 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
Key facts for contamination
PropertyValue
Headwordcontamination
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#11,187
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contamination”

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).contaminationlands 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 “contaminated” (#11,186), “confederate” (#11,185), “coping” (#11,189). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contamination” is #11,187. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around contamination (IPA /kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,187 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for contamination, with forms such as "ccontamination", "cnotamination", and "conatmination". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin contāminātiōnem. The correct English form is contamination, spelled C-O-N-T-A-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or process of contaminating.
  2. 2
    Something which contaminates.
  3. 3
    A process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds.
  4. 4
    The influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning.
  5. 5
    The intermingling of readings from multiple sources by a copyist.

Etymology

From Latin contāminātiōnem.

Synonyms

adulterationcontaminationdefedationdefilementpollutionsophistication

Antonyms

conservationdecontaminationdistillationpurification

This word in other languages

contaminación(Español)contamination(Français)Verunreinigung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontamination
  • cnotamination
  • conatmination
  • conntamination
  • contaimnation
  • contamiantion
  • contaminaiton
  • contaminasion
  • contaminatino
  • contaminationn
  • contaminatoin
  • contaminattion
  • contaminnation
  • contamintaion
  • contammination
  • contamniation
  • contmaination
  • conttamination
  • cotnamination
  • ocntamination

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontamination1cnotamination2conatmination2conntamination1contaimnation2contamiantion2contaminaiton2contaminasion1
Edit distance from "contamination"

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 "contamination"?
"contamination" is spelled C-O-N-T-A-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/.
What does "contamination" mean?
As a noun, "contamination" means: The act or process of contaminating.
What are common misspellings of "contamination"?
Common misspellings include "ccontamination", "cnotamination", "conatmination", "conntamination", "contaimnation". The correct spelling is "contamination".
How do you pronounce "contamination"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contamination" is /kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.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 "contamination"?
From Latin contāminātiōnem. 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 "contamination", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

functionality#11,216vulnerability#11,322consolidation#11,003inconvenience#11,397

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

psychiatrist20 variantsstrengthened20 variantsarchaeological20 variantshighlighting20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list