declination

/ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/

//ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən// noun

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

"declination" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“declination” is uncommon English (frequency #61,405 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,405
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.

Corpus desk

Index EN-declination · declination · English

declination · rank #61,405 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,405
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH DBT

Nearest frequency peer: DBT (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “declination”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “declination” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for declination
PropertyValue
Headworddeclination
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#61,405
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “declination” in English

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).declinationfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “DBT” (#61,403), “defacing” (#61,407), “defensiveness” (#61,409). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “declination” is #61,405. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

declination is uncommon English at frequency #61,405 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for declination in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English declinacioun, borrowed from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio. Doublet of declension. The correct English form is declination, spelled D-E-C-L-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.
  2. 2
    At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane.
  3. 3
    A refusal.
  4. 4
    The gradual decline in the overall fundamental frequency or pitch of speech over the course of an utterance, independent of local variations such as tones and pitch accents.
  5. 5
    Declension.
  6. 6
    The act or state of bending downward; inclination.
  7. 7
    The act or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline.
  8. 8
    Deviation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the queen's declination from marriage
  2. declination of the head

Etymology

From Middle English declinacioun, borrowed from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio. Doublet of declension.

This word in other languages

déclinaison(Français)Deklination(Deutsch)

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 "declination"?
"declination" is spelled D-E-C-L-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/.
What does "declination" mean?
As a noun, "declination" means: At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.
How do you pronounce "declination"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "declination" is /ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/. 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 "declination"?
From Middle English declinacioun, borrowed from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio. Doublet of declension. 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 "declination", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bridlington#61,328Bentonville#61,304Baumgartner#61,295attentional#61,290

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list