fornication
/ˌfɔɹnɪˈkeɪʃən/
"fornication" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“fornication” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,131 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #41,131
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sexual intercourse by people who are not married to each other, or which is considered illicit in another way.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | fornication |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌfɔɹnɪˈkeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #41,131 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “fornication” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for fornication is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌfɔɹnɪˈkeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #41,131 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for fornication, with forms such as "ffornication", "fonrication", and "forincation". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fornicacioun, from Old French fornicacion, from Latin fornicātiō, from fornix (“brothel”). The correct English form is fornication, spelled F-O-R-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Sexual intercourse by people who are not married to each other, or which is considered illicit in another way.
- 2Sexual intercourse in general; sex.
Etymology
From Middle English fornicacioun, from Old French fornicacion, from Latin fornicātiō, from fornix (“brothel”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ffornication,fonrication,forincation,fornciation,forniaction,fornicaiton,fornicasion,fornicatino,fornicationn,fornicatoin,fornicattion,forniccation,fornictaion,fornnication,forrnication,fronication,ofrnication
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fornication - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "fornication"?
What does "fornication" mean?
What are common misspellings of "fornication"?
How do you pronounce "fornication"?
What is the origin of the word "fornication"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “fornication”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌfɔɹnɪˈkeɪʃən/ (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
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.