emulation

/ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/

//ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən// noun

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

"emulation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emulation” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,445. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,445
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The endeavor or desire to equal or excel someone else in qualities or actions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emulation · emulation · English

emulation · rank #27,445 · 13 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,445
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH enriching

Nearest frequency peer: enriching (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “emulation”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “emulation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

emulation vs equation
78% similar
emulation vs emulator
78% similar
emulation vs emulsion
78% similar

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

Key facts for emulation
PropertyValue
Headwordemulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#27,445
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “emulation”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).emulationlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “enriching” (#27,446), “ECB” (#27,443), “ebb” (#27,442). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “emulation” is #27,445. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around emulation (IPA /ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,445 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for emulation, with forms such as "emluation", "emmulation", and "emualtion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "equation", "emulator", "emulsion", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French émulation, from Latin aemulātiō. The correct English form is emulation, spelled E-M-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The endeavor or desire to equal or excel someone else in qualities or actions.
  2. 2
    Jealous rivalry; envy; envious contention.
  3. 3
    Execution of a program or other software designed for a different system, by simulating parts of the other system.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a great figure who is worthy of respect and emulation
  2. Allur'd, not forc'd, encourag'd, not compell'd; The shrinking eye look'd up, the soul was cheer'd, Felt as it learnt, confided e'er it fear'd; And first by emulation's ardour mov'd, Prest onward in the path which soon it lov'd.

Etymology

From Middle French émulation, from Latin aemulātiō.

This word in other languages

émulation(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emluation
  • emmulation
  • emualtion
  • emulaiton
  • emulasion
  • emulatino
  • emulationn
  • emulatoin
  • emulattion
  • emullation
  • emultaion
  • eumlation
  • meulation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emluation2emmulation1emualtion2emulaiton2emulasion1emulatino2emulationn1emulatoin2
Edit distance from "emulation"

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 "emulation"?
"emulation" is spelled E-M-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/.
What does "emulation" mean?
As a noun, "emulation" means: The endeavor or desire to equal or excel someone else in qualities or actions.
What words are commonly confused with "emulation"?
"emulation" is commonly confused with "equation", "emulator", "emulsion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emulation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emulation" is /ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/. 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 "emulation"?
From Middle French émulation, from Latin aemulātiō. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "emulation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enriching#27,446flavoured#27,463fruitless#27,469Covington#27,417

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

consummate13 variantsgrassland13 variantsKirkland13 variantsMcGovern13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list