defibrillation

/diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən/

//diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən// noun

"defibrillation" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“defibrillation” is uncommon English (frequency #96,920 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,920
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The stopping of the fibrillation of the heart in order to restore normal contractions, especially by the use of an electric shock.

Key facts for defibrillation
PropertyValue
Headworddefibrillation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən/
Letters14
Frequency rank#96,920
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “defibrillation” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). defibrillation lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

defibrillation is uncommon English at frequency #96,920 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The stopping of the fibrillation of the heart in order to restore normal contractions, especially by the use of an electric shock.".

No misspelling variants are generated for defibrillation in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + fibrillation. The correct English form is defibrillation, spelled D-E-F-I-B-R-I-L-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The stopping of the fibrillation of the heart in order to restore normal contractions, especially by the use of an electric shock.

Etymology

From de- + fibrillation.

This word in other languages

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 "defibrillation"?
"defibrillation" is spelled D-E-F-I-B-R-I-L-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən/.
What does "defibrillation" mean?
As a noun, "defibrillation" means: The stopping of the fibrillation of the heart in order to restore normal contractions, especially by the use of an electric shock.
How do you pronounce "defibrillation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defibrillation" is /diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən/. 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 "defibrillation"?
From de- + fibrillation. 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.

Using “defibrillation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-F-I-B-R-I-L-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /diːˌfɪbɹɪˈleɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list