dispensation
/dɪsˌpɛnˈseɪʃən/noun
dispensation is spelled D-I-S-P-E-N-S-A-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dispensation means “The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dispensation is dispensations.
How many letters and syllables are in dispensation?
| Letters | 12: D-I-S-P-E-N-S-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th 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 dispensation?
Dispensation appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th 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 dispensation?
- UK /dɪsˌpɛnˈseɪʃən/
Dispensation 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-dispensation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dispensation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dispensation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/, British pronunciation):
- translation
- aviation
- determination
- delegation
- authorization
- degradation
- deportation
- inauguration
- deprivation
- depreciation
- visualization
- denomination
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 dispensation
- dispensations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dispensation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution
a fair dispensation of money
- 2
The distribution of good and evil by God to man.
- 3
That which is dispensed, dealt out, or given; that which is bestowed on someone
- 4
A system of principles, promises, and rules ordained and administered; scheme; economy
the Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian dispensations
- 5
The relaxation of a law in a particular case; permission to do something forbidden, or to omit doing something enjoined; exemption.
- 6
In the Roman Catholic Church, an exemption from some ecclesiastical law, or from an obligation to God which a person has incurred of his own free will (oaths, vows, etc.).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dispensation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dérogation, dispense |
| German | Gegebenheiten , Dispens |
| Spanish | dispensación |
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 dispensation come from?
From Middle English dispensacioun, from Old French despensacion, from Latin dispensātiō. By surface analysis, dispens(e) + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).