expiration

/ˌɛk.spəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌɛk.spəˈɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“expiration” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,401. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,401
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act, process, or instance of expiring.

Corpus desk

Index EN-expiration · expiration · English

expiration · rank #15,401 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,401
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Estonia

Nearest frequency peer: Estonia (-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 “expiration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “expiration” 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).

expiration vs exploration
82% similar
expiration vs excitation
80% similar

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

Key facts for expiration
PropertyValue
Headwordexpiration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɛk.spəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#15,401
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “expiration”

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).expirationlands 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 “Estonia” (#15,400), “envoy” (#15,399), “expressly” (#15,403). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “expiration” is #15,401. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around expiration (IPA /ˌɛk.spəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,401 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for expiration, with forms such as "epxiration", "exipration", and "expiartion". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "exploration", "excitation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English expiracioun, exspiracioun (“vapor, breath”), from Latin expīrātiōnem, exspīrātiōnem, accusative singular of expīrātiō, exspīrātiō. By surface analysis, expire + -ation. The correct English form is expiration, spelled E-X-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act, process, or instance of expiring.
  2. 2
    An act, process, or instance of expiring.
  3. 3
    An act, process, or instance of expiring.
  4. 4
    An act, process, or instance of expiring.
  5. 5
    An act, process, or instance of expiring.
  6. 6
    An act, process, or instance of expiring.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Holonym: respiration
  2. crackles heard on expiration

Etymology

From Middle English expiracioun, exspiracioun (“vapor, breath”), from Latin expīrātiōnem, exspīrātiōnem, accusative singular of expīrātiō, exspīrātiō. By surface analysis, expire + -ation.

This word in other languages

expiración(Español)expiration(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epxiration
  • exipration
  • expiartion
  • expiraiton
  • expirasion
  • expiratino
  • expirationn
  • expiratoin
  • expirattion
  • expirration
  • expirtaion
  • exppiration
  • expriation
  • exxpiration
  • xepiration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of expiration - 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.

epxiration2exipration2expiartion2expiraiton2expirasion1expiratino2expirationn1expiratoin2
Edit distance from "expiration"

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 "expiration"?
"expiration" is spelled E-X-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛk.spəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "expiration" mean?
As a noun, "expiration" means: An act, process, or instance of expiring.
What words are commonly confused with "expiration"?
"expiration" is commonly confused with "exploration", "excitation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "expiration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "expiration" is /ˌɛk.spəˈɹeɪ.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 "expiration"?
From Middle English expiracioun, exspiracioun (“vapor, breath”), from Latin expīrātiōnem, exspīrātiōnem, accusative singular of expīrātiō, exspīrātiō. By surface analysis, expire + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

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

empowering#15,396eighteenth#15,392Disneyland#15,386crossroads#15,380

Similar misspelling depth

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

instituted15 variantschromosome15 variantsBlackburn15 variantsrepetition15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list