deviation
/ˌdiviˈeɪʃən/noun
deviation is spelled D-E-V-I-A-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deviation means “The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deviation is deviations.
How many letters and syllables are in deviation?
| Letters | 9: D-E-V-I-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is deviation?
Deviation appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce deviation?
- UK /ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/
- US /ˌdiviˈeɪʃən/
- Australia /ˌdiː.viˈæɪʃən/
Deviation has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-deviation.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-deviation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with deviation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as deviation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of deviation
- deviations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deviation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road.
- 2
A departure from the correct way of acting.
- 3
The state or result of having deviated; a transgression; an act of sin; an error; an offense.
mankind’s deviation from divine will
- 4
A detour in a road or railway.
- 5
A detour to one side of the originally-planned flightpath (for instance, to avoid weather); the act of making such a detour.
- 6
The voluntary and unnecessary departure of a ship from, or delay in, the regular and usual course of the specific voyage insured, thus releasing the underwriters from their responsibility.
- 7
The shortest distance between the center of the target and the point where a projectile hits or bursts.
- 8
For interval variables and ratio variables, a measure of difference between the observed value and the mean.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deviation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déviation , écart |
| German | Abweichung, Abweichen , Übertretung, Verfehlung, Sünde , Umleitung |
| Portuguese | desvio |
| Spanish | desviación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does deviation come from?
From Middle French deviation, from Medieval Latin deviatio. Morphologically deviate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).