conversation

/ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃn̩/

//ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“conversation” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,816. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,816
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conversation · conversation · English

conversation · rank #1,816 · 19 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,816
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH concerned

Nearest frequency peer: concerned (-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 “conversation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “conversation” 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).

conversation vs conversion
83% similar
conversation vs conversational
86% similar
conversation vs conservation
83% similar

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

Key facts for conversation
PropertyValue
Headwordconversation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃn̩/
Letters12
Frequency rank#1,816
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “conversation”

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).conversationlands 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 “concerned” (#1,815), “corner” (#1,817), “cells” (#1,814). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conversation” is #1,816. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around conversation (IPA /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,816 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for conversation, with forms such as "cconversation", "cnoversation", and "conevrsation". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "conversion", "conversational", "conservation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English conversacioun, from Old French conversacion and its etymon, Latin conversātiōnem, accusative singular of conversātiō (“conversation”), from conversor (“abide, keep company with”). Doublet of conversazione. Morphologically converse + -ation. The correct English form is conversation, spelled C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking.
  2. 2
    The back-and-forth play of the blades in a bout.
  3. 3
    The protocol-based interaction between systems processing a transaction.
  4. 4
    Interaction; commerce or intercourse with other people; dealing with others.
  5. 5
    Behaviour, the way one conducts oneself; a person's way of life.
  6. 6
    Sexual intercourse.
  7. 7
    Engagement with a specific subject, idea, field of study etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I had an interesting conversation with Nicolas yesterday about how much he's getting paid.
  2. You need to improve conversation in foreign languages.

Etymology

From Middle English conversacioun, from Old French conversacion and its etymon, Latin conversātiōnem, accusative singular of conversātiō (“conversation”), from conversor (“abide, keep company with”). Doublet of conversazione. Morphologically converse + -ation.

This word in other languages

conversación(Español)conversation(Français)Gespräch(Deutsch)conversa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconversation
  • cnoversation
  • conevrsation
  • connversation
  • converastion
  • converrsation
  • conversaiton
  • conversasion
  • conversatino
  • conversationn
  • conversatoin
  • conversattion
  • converssation
  • converstaion
  • convesration
  • convresation
  • convversation
  • covnersation
  • ocnversation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconversation1cnoversation2conevrsation2connversation1converastion2converrsation1conversaiton2conversasion1
Edit distance from "conversation"

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 "conversation"?
"conversation" is spelled C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃn̩/.
What does "conversation" mean?
As a noun, "conversation" means: Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking.
What words are commonly confused with "conversation"?
"conversation" is commonly confused with "conversion", "conversational", "conservation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conversation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conversation" is /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃn̩/. 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 "conversation"?
From Middle English conversacioun, from Old French conversacion and its etymon, Latin conversātiōnem, accusative singular of conversātiō (“conversation”), from conversor (“abide, keep company with”). Doublet of conversazione. Morphologically conve... 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 "conversation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

intelligence#2,044specifically#2,269applications#2,279distribution#2,290

Similar misspelling depth

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

organizations19 variantsparticularly19 variantscommunications19 variantsindependence19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list