deviation

/ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/

//ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən// noun

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

"deviation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deviation” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,119. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,119
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deviation · deviation · English

deviation · rank #17,119 · 13 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,119
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH demos

Nearest frequency peer: demos (-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 “deviation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “deviation” 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).

deviation vs devotion
78% similar
deviation vs divination
80% similar
deviation vs depiction
78% similar

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

Key facts for deviation
PropertyValue
Headworddeviation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,119
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deviation”

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).deviationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “demos” (#17,118), “diffusion” (#17,120), “daunting” (#17,117). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deviation” is #17,119. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around deviation (IPA /ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,119 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for deviation, with forms such as "ddeviation", "deivation", and "devaition". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "devotion", "divination", "depiction", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French deviation, from Medieval Latin deviatio. Morphologically deviate + -ion. The correct English form is deviation, spelled D-E-V-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road.
  2. 2
    A departure from the correct way of acting.
  3. 3
    The state or result of having deviated; a transgression; an act of sin; an error; an offense.
  4. 4
    A detour in a road or railway.
  5. 5
    A detour to one side of the originally-planned flightpath (for instance, to avoid weather); the act of making such a detour.
  6. 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. 7
    The shortest distance between the center of the target and the point where a projectile hits or bursts.
  8. 8
    For interval variables and ratio variables, a measure of difference between the observed value and the mean.
  9. 9
    The signed difference between a value and its reference value.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The combination of Archie Jones’s working-class, Cockney accent, Samad’s Asian-English and Clara’s Creolized Caribbean English represent socio-linguistic deviations from Standard English as the centripetal forces of language undermining any notion of a homoglossic centre to the nation’s language and culture.
  2. mankind’s deviation from divine will

Etymology

From Middle French deviation, from Medieval Latin deviatio. Morphologically deviate + -ion.

This word in other languages

desviación(Español)déviation(Français)Abweichung(Deutsch)desvio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeviation
  • deivation
  • devaition
  • deviaiton
  • deviasion
  • deviatino
  • deviationn
  • deviatoin
  • deviattion
  • devitaion
  • devviation
  • dveiation
  • edviation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddeviation1deivation2devaition2deviaiton2deviasion1deviatino2deviationn1deviatoin2
Edit distance from "deviation"

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 "deviation"?
"deviation" is spelled D-E-V-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/.
What does "deviation" mean?
As a noun, "deviation" means: The act of deviating; wandering off the correct or true path or road.
What words are commonly confused with "deviation"?
"deviation" is commonly confused with "devotion", "divination", "depiction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deviation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deviation" is /ˌdiː.viˈeɪʃən/. 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 "deviation"?
From Middle French deviation, from Medieval Latin deviatio. Morphologically deviate + -ion. 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 "deviation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

diffusion#17,120condensed#17,108etiquette#17,132childcare#17,100

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

distrust13 variantsflushing13 variantsgreenwood13 variantsKimberly13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list