elucidation

/ɪˌlu.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/

//ɪˌlu.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"elucidation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“elucidation” is uncommon English (frequency #67,403 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,403
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A making clear; the act of elucidating or that which elucidates, as an explanation, an exposition, an illustration

Corpus desk

Index EN-elucidation · elucidation · English

elucidation · rank #67,403 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,403
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH elopement

Nearest frequency peer: elopement (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “elucidation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “elucidation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for elucidation
PropertyValue
Headwordelucidation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˌlu.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#67,403
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “elucidation” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).elucidationfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “elopement” (#67,402), “embellishing” (#67,405), “Elem” (#67,400). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “elucidation” is #67,403. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

elucidation is uncommon English at frequency #67,403 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˌlu.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A making clear; the act of elucidating or that which elucidates, as an explanation, an exposition, an illustration".

elucidation doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is elucidation, spelled E-L-U-C-I-D-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A making clear; the act of elucidating or that which elucidates, as an explanation, an exposition, an illustration

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The essay might, undoubtedly, have been rendered much more complete by a collection of a greater number of facts in elucidation of the general argument.
  2. At a time like the present when Eastern æsthetics are attracting the attention of scholars in all quarters, and particularly when the great field of Buddhist art is coming more into focus, a view of a little-known aspect of this subject may perhaps be the humble means of assisting in the elucidation of some of the complex problems with which this study is…

This word in other languages

elucidación(Español)élucidation(Français)Erläuterung(Deutsch)

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 "elucidation"?
"elucidation" is spelled E-L-U-C-I-D-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˌlu.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "elucidation" mean?
As a noun, "elucidation" means: A making clear; the act of elucidating or that which elucidates, as an explanation, an exposition, an illustration
How do you pronounce "elucidation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "elucidation" is /ɪˌlu.sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "elucidation" come from?
"elucidation" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "elucidation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

edification#67,393curvilinear#67,343compositing#67,323groundswell#67,489

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list