# fluctuation

> English word · Noun · IPA /flʌkt͡ʃuːˈeɪʃən/ · frequency rank #33,246

## Definitions
1. A motion like that of waves; a moving in this and that direction; an irregular rising and falling.
2. A wavering; unsteadiness.
3. In medicine, a wave-like motion or undulation of a fluid in a natural or abnormal cavity (e.g. pus in an abscess), which is felt during palpation or percussion.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin fluctuatiōnem, accusative singular of fluctuatiō, from fluctuō, from fluctus. Morphologically fluctuate + -ion.

## Easily confused with
- **fluctuating** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fluctuating-vs-fluctuation)

## Common misspellings (17)
`ffluctuation`, `flcutuation`, `flluctuation`, `flucctuation`, `fluctaution`, `flucttuation`, `fluctuaiton`, `fluctuasion`, `fluctuatino`, `fluctuationn`, `fluctuatoin`, `fluctuattion`, `fluctutaion`, `flucutation`, `flutcuation`, `fulctuation`, `lfuctuation`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fluctuation