desolation

/ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/

//ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən// noun

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

"desolation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“desolation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,804. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,804
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desolation · desolation · English

desolation · rank #27,804 · 15 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,804
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deviant

Nearest frequency peer: deviant (+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 “desolation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “desolation” 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).

desolation vs detonation
80% similar
desolation vs devolution
80% similar
desolation vs deflation
80% similar

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

Key facts for desolation
PropertyValue
Headworddesolation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#27,804
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “desolation”

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).desolationlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “deviant” (#27,805), “Devine” (#27,806), “daybreak” (#27,801). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “desolation” is #27,804. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around desolation (IPA /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,804 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for desolation, with forms such as "ddesolation", "deoslation", and "desloation". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "detonation", "devolution", "deflation", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English desolacioun, from Middle French, Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f. The correct English form is desolation, spelled D-E-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.
  2. 2
    The state of being desolated or laid waste
  3. 3
    A place or country wasted and forsaken.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
  2. One or two uncovered masses appeared like the lingering foot-prints of desolation; but in general where the statelier trees had not taken root, the soil was luxuriantly covered with heath and the golden blossomed furze.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English desolacioun, from Middle French, Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f.

This word in other languages

Verwüsten(Deutsch)desolação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddesolation
  • deoslation
  • desloation
  • desoaltion
  • desolaiton
  • desolasion
  • desolatino
  • desolationn
  • desolatoin
  • desolattion
  • desollation
  • desoltaion
  • dessolation
  • dseolation
  • edsolation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of desolation - 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.

ddesolation1deoslation2desloation2desoaltion2desolaiton2desolasion1desolatino2desolationn1
Edit distance from "desolation"

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 "desolation"?
"desolation" is spelled D-E-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/.
What does "desolation" mean?
As a noun, "desolation" means: The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.
What words are commonly confused with "desolation"?
"desolation" is commonly confused with "detonation", "devolution", "deflation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "desolation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desolation" is /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/. 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 "desolation"?
Inherited from Middle English desolacioun, from Middle French, Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f. 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 "desolation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dislocated#27,812complicity#27,778clustering#27,773financials#27,836

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

dragonfly15 variantsbyproduct15 variantsinnumerable15 variantsorganically15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list