equivocation
/ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/
"equivocation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“equivocation” is uncommon English (frequency #67,413 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #67,413
- frequency rank, English
- 18,836
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A logical fallacy resulting from the use of multiple meanings of a single expression.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | equivocation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #67,413 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “equivocation” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
equivocation is uncommon English at frequency #67,413 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for equivocation, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: c. 1380, from Middle English equivocacion, from Old French equivocation, from Medieval Latin aequivocātiō, from aequivocō, from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), from Latin aequus (“equal”) + vocō (“call”); a calque of Ancient Greek ὁμωνυμία (… The correct English form is equivocation, spelled E-Q-U-I-V-O-C-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A logical fallacy resulting from the use of multiple meanings of a single expression.
- 2The use of expressions susceptible of a double signification, possibly intentionally and with the aim of misleading.
Etymology
c. 1380, from Middle English equivocacion, from Old French equivocation, from Medieval Latin aequivocātiō, from aequivocō, from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), from Latin aequus (“equal”) + vocō (“call”); a calque of Ancient Greek ὁμωνυμία (homōnumía).
This word in other languages
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 "equivocation"?
What does "equivocation" mean?
How do you pronounce "equivocation"?
What is the origin of the word "equivocation"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “equivocation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-Q-U-I-V-O-C-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.