# formation

> English word · Noun · IPA /fɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ · frequency rank #3,059

## Definitions
1. The act of assembling a group or structure.
2. Something possessing structure or form.
3. The process during which something comes into being and gains its characteristics.
4. A grouping of military units or smaller formations under a command, such as a brigade, division, wing, etc.
5. A layer of rock of common origin.
6. An arrangement of moving troops, ships, or aircraft, such as a wedge, line abreast, or echelon. Often "in formation".
7. An arrangement of players designed to facilitate certain plays.
8. The process of influencing or guiding a person to a deeper understanding of a particular vocation.
9. A structure made of two categories, two functors from the first to the second category, and a transformation from one of the functors to the other.

## Etymology
From Middle English formacioun, formation, borrowed from Old French formacion, from Latin fōrmātiō, from fōrmō (“form”, verb); see form as verb. Morphologically form + -ation.

## Easily confused with
- **formative** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/formation-vs-formative)
- **formulation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/formation-vs-formulation)

## Common misspellings (14)
`fformation`, `fomration`, `foramtion`, `formaiton`, `formasion`, `formatino`, `formationn`, `formatoin`, `formattion`, `formmation`, `formtaion`, `forrmation`, `fromation`, `ofrmation`

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