# dictation

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪkˈteɪʃən/ · frequency rank #41,082

## Definitions
1. Dictating, the process of speaking for someone else to write down the words.
2. An activity in school where the teacher reads a passage aloud and the students write it down.
3. The act of ordering or commanding.
4. Orders given in an overbearing manner.

## Etymology
From Late Latin dictātiō, noun of action from dictātus, the perfect passive participle of dictō. By surface analysis, dictate + -ion.

## Easily confused with
- **diction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dictation-vs-diction)
- **dictator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dictation-vs-dictator)
- **dilation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dictation-vs-dilation)

## Common misspellings (14)
`dcitation`, `ddictation`, `dicattion`, `dicctation`, `dictaiton`, `dictasion`, `dictatino`, `dictationn`, `dictatoin`, `dictattion`, `dicttaion`, `dicttation`, `ditcation`, `idctation`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dictation