fractionation

noun

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

"fractionation" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fractionation” is uncommon English (frequency #61,476 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,476
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A separation process in which a certain quantity of a mixture is divided up into smaller quantities (fractions) in which the composition changes according to a gradient; an instance of this process.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fractionation · fractionation · English

fractionation · rank #61,476 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,476
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH florin

Nearest frequency peer: florin (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “fractionation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “fractionation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fractionation
PropertyValue
Headwordfractionation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Frequency rank#61,476
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fractionation” in English

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).fractionationfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “florin” (#61,474), “fugly” (#61,478), “flintstone” (#61,473). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fractionation” is #61,476. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fractionation is uncommon English at frequency #61,476 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for fractionation in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, fraction + -ation, or, by surface analysis, fractionate + -ion. The correct English form is fractionation, spelled F-R-A-C-T-I-O-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A separation process in which a certain quantity of a mixture is divided up into smaller quantities (fractions) in which the composition changes according to a gradient; an instance of this process.
  2. 2
    The division of a total dose of radiation into fractions.
  3. 3
    A preliminary stage of encryption that divides each plaintext symbol into several ciphertext symbols.
  4. 4
    A form of hypnosis where the patient is made to enter and leave a trance state many times in quick succession.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Methane is separated from other hydrocarbons in a gas fractionation plant.
  2. After several fractionations, we had a usable product.

Etymology

By surface analysis, fraction + -ation, or, by surface analysis, fractionate + -ion.

This word in other languages

fractionnement(Français)fracionamento(Português)

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 "fractionation"?
"fractionation" is spelled F-R-A-C-T-I-O-N-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "fractionation" mean?
As a noun, "fractionation" means: A separation process in which a certain quantity of a mixture is divided up into smaller quantities (fractions) in which the composition changes according to a gradient; an instance of this process.
What is the origin of the word "fractionation"?
By surface analysis, fraction + -ation, or, by surface analysis, fractionate + -ion. 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 "fractionation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hallucinatory#61,514defensiveness#61,409intermountain#61,561kidderminster#61,573

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list