desecration

/dɛ.sɪˈkɹeɪ.ʃən/

//dɛ.sɪˈkɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

The verdict

“desecration” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,774. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,774
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of disrespect or impiety towards something considered sacred.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desecration · desecration · English

desecration · rank #39,774 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,774
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dendritic

Nearest frequency peer: dendritic (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “desecration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “desecration” 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).

desecration vs desertion
82% similar
desecration vs desperation
82% similar

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

Key facts for desecration
PropertyValue
Headworddesecration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɛ.sɪˈkɹeɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#39,774
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “desecration”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).desecrationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dendritic” (#39,772), “devo” (#39,776), “Devos” (#39,777). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “desecration” is #39,774. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around desecration (IPA /dɛ.sɪˈkɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,774 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An act of disrespect or impiety towards something considered sacred.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for desecration, with forms such as "ddesecration", "deescration", and "desceration". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "desertion", "desperation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is desecration, spelled D-E-S-E-C-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of disrespect or impiety towards something considered sacred.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It seemed a desecration and an unhallowed thing to touch that sleeping image of the live man by my side.
  2. In the same year as the Furness objection, sadder tidings befell St Pancras Priory at Lewes, in East Sussex. Despite it having the distinction of being the earliest Cluniac monastery in Great Britain, petitions to prevent the Brighton Lewes & Hastings Railway from imposing on its site with its Lewes line failed. The line was approved and, as if as an act…

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddesecration
  • deescration
  • desceration
  • desecartion
  • deseccration
  • desecraiton
  • desecrasion
  • desecratino
  • desecrationn
  • desecratoin
  • desecrattion
  • desecrration
  • desecrtaion
  • desercation
  • dessecration
  • dseecration
  • edsecration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of desecration - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddesecration1deescration2desceration2desecartion2deseccration1desecraiton2desecrasion1desecratino2
Edit distance from "desecration"

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 "desecration"?
"desecration" is spelled D-E-S-E-C-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛ.sɪˈkɹeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "desecration" mean?
As a noun, "desecration" means: An act of disrespect or impiety towards something considered sacred.
What words are commonly confused with "desecration"?
"desecration" is commonly confused with "desertion", "desperation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "desecration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desecration" is /dɛ.sɪˈkɹeɪ.ʃən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "desecration" come from?
"desecration" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "desecration", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list