derivation
/ˌdɛ.ɹɪˈveɪ.ʃ(ə)n/
"derivation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“derivation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,428. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #27,428
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A leading or drawing off of water from a stream or source.
Corpus desk
Index EN-derivation · derivation · English
derivation · rank #27,428 · 15 variants · 4 confusables
- FREQ-MID #27,428
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
- VAR-HIGH 15 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH depraved
Nearest frequency peer: depraved (-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 “derivation”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- decadent
decadent
72,578 corpus weight
- decoy
decoy
72,577 corpus weight
- depraved
depraved
72,574 corpus weight
- derivation
derivation
72,573 corpus weight
- detectable
detectable
72,571 corpus weight
- diced
diced
72,569 corpus weight
What this shows “derivation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | derivation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌdɛ.ɹɪˈveɪ.ʃ(ə)n/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #27,428 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “derivation”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 15 spelling variants around derivation (IPA /ˌdɛ.ɹɪˈveɪ.ʃ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,428 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for derivation, with forms such as "dderivation", "deirvation", and "deriavtion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "deviation", "derivative", "dedication", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English derivacioun, borrowed from Middle French dérivation, from Latin dērīvātiō, dērīvātiōnem. Morphologically derive + -ation. The correct English form is derivation, spelled D-E-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A leading or drawing off of water from a stream or source.
- 2The act of receiving anything from a source; the act of procuring an effect from a cause, means, or condition, as profits from capital, conclusions or opinions from evidence.
- 3The act of tracing origin or descent; an instance thereof (for example, an etymology).
- 4Forming a new word by changing the base of another word or by adding affixes to it.
- 5The state or method of being derived; the relation of origin when established or asserted.
- 6That from which a thing is derived.
- 7That which is derived; a derivative; the result of a deduction.
- 8The process of deriving one thing from another, especially in logic; a deduction.
- 9The process of deriving one thing from another, especially in logic; a deduction.
- 10The process of application of the derivative operator to a function, yielding another function called the derived function of the first.
- 11An algebraic generalization of the derivative operator (from its natural setting in the ring of real-valued functions) to a general associative algebra over a field. Formally, (given an algebra A over a field K) a K-linear endomorphism that satisfies Leibnitz's Law.
- 12An algebraic generalization of the derivative operator (from its natural setting in the ring of real-valued functions) to a general associative algebra over a field. Formally, (given an algebra A over a field K) a K-linear endomorphism that satisfies Leibnitz's Law.
- 13A drawing of humors or fluids from one part of the body to another, to relieve or lessen a morbid process.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how derivation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
the derivation of a word from an Indo-European root
Etymology
From Middle English derivacioun, borrowed from Middle French dérivation, from Latin dērīvātiō, dērīvātiōnem. Morphologically derive + -ation.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- dderivation
- deirvation
- deriavtion
- derivaiton
- derivasion
- derivatino
- derivationn
- derivatoin
- derivattion
- derivtaion
- derivvation
- derrivation
- derviation
- dreivation
- edrivation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of derivation - 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.
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 "derivation"?
What does "derivation" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "derivation"?
How do you pronounce "derivation"?
What is the origin of the word "derivation"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "derivation", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).