excavation

/ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/

//ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn// noun

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

"excavation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“excavation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,813. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,813
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.

Corpus desk

Index EN-excavation · excavation · English

excavation · rank #15,813 · 15 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,813
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH ethanol

Nearest frequency peer: ethanol (-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 “excavation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “excavation” 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).

excavation vs excavator
80% similar
excavation vs excitation
80% similar
excavation vs exclamation
82% similar

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

Key facts for excavation
PropertyValue
Headwordexcavation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#15,813
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “excavation”

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).excavationlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “ethanol” (#15,812), “extremist” (#15,814), “estimation” (#15,811). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “excavation” is #15,813. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around excavation (IPA /ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,813 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for excavation, with forms such as "ecxavation", "exacvation", and "excaavtion". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "excavator", "excitation", "exclamation", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin excavātiō (“a hollowing out”), from excavō (“I hollow out”), from ex + cavō (“I hollow out”), from cavus (“hollow”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- (“vault, hole”). The correct English form is excavation, spelled E-X-C-A-V-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
  2. 2
    The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
  3. 3
    A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping.
  4. 4
    An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel.
  5. 5
    The material dug out in making a channel or cavity.
  6. 6
    Archaeological research that unearths buildings, tombs and objects of historical value.
  7. 7
    A site where an archaeological exploration is being carried out.
  8. 8
    Something uncovered by archaeological excavation.
  9. 9
    The act of discovering and exposing or developing (a quality).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: hollowing out, hollowing
  2. Prof. Dainelli made a personal study of the lakes of the Upper Indus lying between its confluence with the Gilgit on the west and the plains of Kashmir on the east. From this district he cites fifty lakes and groups of lakes. Many of these are moraine-dammed, but some of the larger ones, as the Satpor Tso, the Tso Moriri, the Chiun Tso, and the group of l…

Etymology

From Latin excavātiō (“a hollowing out”), from excavō (“I hollow out”), from ex + cavō (“I hollow out”), from cavus (“hollow”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- (“vault, hole”).

This word in other languages

excavación(Español)fouille(Français)Grabung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ecxavation
  • exacvation
  • excaavtion
  • excavaiton
  • excavasion
  • excavatino
  • excavationn
  • excavatoin
  • excavattion
  • excavtaion
  • excavvation
  • exccavation
  • excvaation
  • exxcavation
  • xecavation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of excavation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ecxavation2exacvation2excaavtion2excavaiton2excavasion1excavatino2excavationn1excavatoin2
Edit distance from "excavation"

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 "excavation"?
"excavation" is spelled E-X-C-A-V-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/.
What does "excavation" mean?
As a noun, "excavation" means: The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
What words are commonly confused with "excavation"?
"excavation" is commonly confused with "excavator", "excitation", "exclamation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "excavation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "excavation" is /ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/. 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 "excavation"?
From Latin excavātiō (“a hollowing out”), from excavō (“I hollow out”), from ex + cavō (“I hollow out”), from cavus (“hollow”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- (“vault, hole”). 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 "excavation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

estimation#15,811flashlight#15,816enthusiast#15,809flattering#15,817

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

disruptive15 variantsdisclaimer15 variantsillustrator15 variantsmitigation15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list