contemplation

/ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən/

//ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“contemplation” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,788. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,788
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
21
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of contemplating; musing; being highly concentrated in thought

Corpus desk

Index EN-contemplation · contemplation · English

contemplation · rank #23,788 · 21 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,788
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conserved

Nearest frequency peer: conserved (-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 “contemplation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contemplation” 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).

contemplation vs contemplative
85% similar

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

Key facts for contemplation
PropertyValue
Headwordcontemplation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#23,788
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contemplation”

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).contemplationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “conserved” (#23,787), “contrived” (#23,789), “coles” (#23,786). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contemplation” is #23,788. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around contemplation (IPA /ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,788 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for contemplation, with forms such as "ccontemplation", "cnotemplation", and "conetmplation". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "contemplative", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English contemplacioun, from Old French contemplation, from Latin contemplatio. The correct English form is contemplation, spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-P-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of contemplating; musing; being highly concentrated in thought
  2. 2
    Holy meditation.
  3. 3
    The act of looking forward to a future event
  4. 4
    The state of being considered or planned.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Now, 80 percent is accessible — quickly filling with exhibition spaces, stylish restaurants and cafes, bookstores, and highly profitable gift stores, as well as quiet walkways, shady stands of trees and odd nooks that invite contemplation of bygone dynasties.
  2. Mr. Pickwick congratulated the fortunate owner of the irresistible garments on their acquisition; and Mr. Peter Magnus remained a few moments apparently absorbed in contemplation.

Etymology

From Middle English contemplacioun, from Old French contemplation, from Latin contemplatio.

Synonyms

attentionconsideration

Antonyms

pragmatism

This word in other languages

contemplación(Español)contemplation(Français)Betrachtung(Deutsch)contemplação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontemplation
  • cnotemplation
  • conetmplation
  • conntemplation
  • contemlpation
  • contemmplation
  • contempaltion
  • contemplaiton
  • contemplasion
  • contemplatino
  • contemplationn
  • contemplatoin
  • contemplattion
  • contempllation
  • contempltaion
  • contempplation
  • contepmlation
  • contmeplation
  • conttemplation
  • cotnemplation
  • ocntemplation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontemplation1cnotemplation2conetmplation2conntemplation1contemlpation2contemmplation1contempaltion2contemplaiton2
Edit distance from "contemplation"

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 "contemplation"?
"contemplation" is spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-P-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən/.
What does "contemplation" mean?
As a noun, "contemplation" means: The act of contemplating; musing; being highly concentrated in thought
What words are commonly confused with "contemplation"?
"contemplation" is commonly confused with "contemplative". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contemplation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contemplation" is /ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən/. 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 "contemplation"?
From Middle English contemplacioun, from Old French contemplation, from Latin contemplatio. 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 "contemplation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

merchandising#23,901misunderstand#23,906morphological#23,913reincarnation#23,971

Similar misspelling depth

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

uncontrollable21 variantsunconditionally21 variantsjurisprudence21 variantsschizophrenic21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list