duration

/dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩/

//dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩// noun

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

"duration" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“duration” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,676 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,676
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An amount of time or a particular time interval.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

duration vs donation
75% similar
duration vs dilation
75% similar

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

Key facts for duration
PropertyValue
Headwordduration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,676
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “duration” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). duration lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for duration is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,676 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for duration, with forms such as "dduration", "druation", and "duartion". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "donation", "dilation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English duracioun, from late Old French duracion, from Medieval Latin dūrātiō. The correct English form is duration, spelled D-U-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An amount of time or a particular time interval.
  2. 2
    The time taken for the current situation to end, especially the current war.
  3. 3
    A measure of the sensitivity of the price of a financial asset to changes in interest rates, computed for a simple bond as a weighted average of the maturities of the interest and principal payments associated with it.

Etymology

From Middle English duracioun, from late Old French duracion, from Medieval Latin dūrātiō.

This word in other languages

duración(Español)durée(Français)Dauer(Deutsch)duração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: dduration,druation,duartion,duraiton,durasion,duratino,durationn,duratoin,durattion,durration,durtaion,udration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of duration - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

dduration1druation2duartion2duraiton2durasion1duratino2durationn1duratoin2
Edit distance from "duration"

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 "duration"?
"duration" is spelled D-U-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩/.
What does "duration" mean?
As a noun, "duration" means: An amount of time or a particular time interval.
What words are commonly confused with "duration"?
"duration" is commonly confused with "donation", "dilation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "duration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duration" is /dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩/. 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 "duration"?
From Middle English duracioun, from late Old French duracion, from Medieval Latin dūrātiō. 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.

Using “duration”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-U-R-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dʒʊˈɹeɪʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “donation” - see the side-by-side comparison. duration vs donation
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list