embarkation

noun

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

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

The verdict

“embarkation” is uncommon English (frequency #53,516 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,516
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of embarking.

Key facts for embarkation
PropertyValue
Headwordembarkation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#53,516
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “embarkation” 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). embarkation lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

embarkation is uncommon English at frequency #53,516 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

embarkation has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French embarcation. By surface analysis, embark + -ation. The correct English form is embarkation, spelled E-M-B-A-R-K-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of embarking.
  2. 2
    The process of loading military personnel and vehicles etc into ships or aircraft.
  3. 3
    A vessel.

Etymology

From French embarcation. By surface analysis, embark + -ation.

Synonyms

embarkment

This word in other languages

embarquement(Français)Einschiffung(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 "embarkation"?
"embarkation" is spelled E-M-B-A-R-K-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "embarkation" mean?
As a noun, "embarkation" means: The act of embarking.
What is the origin of the word "embarkation"?
From French embarcation. By surface analysis, embark + -ation. 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 “embarkation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-B-A-R-K-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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