# dilation

> English word · Noun · IPA /daɪˈleɪʃən/ · frequency rank #33,615

## Definitions
1. The act of dilating.
2. State of being dilated; expansion; dilatation.
3. Delay.
4. In morphology, a basic operation (denoted ⊕) that usually uses a structuring element for probing and expanding the shapes contained in the input image.

## Etymology
From dilate + -ion, late 16th c.

## Easily confused with
- **duration** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dilation-vs-duration)
- **donation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dilation-vs-donation)
- **dilution** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dilation-vs-dilution)
- **diction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/diction-vs-dilation)
- **deletion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deletion-vs-dilation)
- **deflation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deflation-vs-dilation)
- **dictation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dictation-vs-dilation)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ddilation`, `dialtion`, `dilaiton`, `dilasion`, `dilatino`, `dilationn`, `dilatoin`, `dilattion`, `dillation`, `diltaion`, `dliation`, `idlation`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dilation