denotation
/ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/
"denotation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“denotation” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | denotation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “denotation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for denotation is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
denotation has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin dēnotātiō, from Latin dēnotāre (“to denote, mark out”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns of action), from dē- (“completely”) + notāre (“to mark”); equivalent to denote + -ation. The correct English form is denotation, spelled D-E-N-O-T-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes
- 2The primary, surface, literal, or explicit meaning of a signifier such as a word, phrase, or symbol; that which a word denotes, as contrasted with its connotation; the aggregate or set of objects of which a word may be predicated.
- 3The intension and extension of a word
- 4Something signified or referred to; a particular meaning of a symbol
- 5Any mathematical object which describes the meanings of expressions from the languages, formalized in the theory of denotational semantics
- 6A first level of analysis: what the audience can visually see on a page. Denotation often refers to something literal, and avoids being a metaphor.
Etymology
From Late Latin dēnotātiō, from Latin dēnotāre (“to denote, mark out”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns of action), from dē- (“completely”) + notāre (“to mark”); equivalent to denote + -ation.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “denotation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-N-O-T-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/ (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
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.