hesitation

/hɛzɪˈteɪʃən/

//hɛzɪˈteɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hesitation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,929. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,929
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of hesitating

Corpus desk

Index EN-hesitation · hesitation · English

hesitation · rank #13,929 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,929
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heater

Nearest frequency peer: heater (-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 “hesitation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hesitation” 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).

hesitation vs habitation
80% similar
hesitation vs hesitating
80% similar

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

Key facts for hesitation
PropertyValue
Headwordhesitation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɛzɪˈteɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#13,929
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hesitation”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hesitationlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “heater” (#13,928), “humiliation” (#13,930), “harassed” (#13,927). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hesitation” is #13,929. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around hesitation (IPA /hɛzɪˈteɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,929 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for hesitation, with forms such as "ehsitation", "heistation", and "hesiattion". 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. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "habitation", "hesitating", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin haesitātiōnem, accusative singular of haesitātiō (“hesitating, stammering”), from haesitō (“hesitate”). Displaced native Old English ġewand. The correct English form is hesitation, spelled H-E-S-I-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of hesitating
  2. 2
    Doubt; vacillation.
  3. 3
    A faltering in speech; stammering.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. She carried out the order without hesitation.

Etymology

From Latin haesitātiōnem, accusative singular of haesitātiō (“hesitating, stammering”), from haesitō (“hesitate”). Displaced native Old English ġewand.

Synonyms

cunctationhesitancehesitancyhold-updelayirresolutionwavering

This word in other languages

hesitación(Español)hésitation(Français)Zögern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehsitation
  • heistation
  • hesiattion
  • hesitaiton
  • hesitasion
  • hesitatino
  • hesitationn
  • hesitatoin
  • hesitattion
  • hesittaion
  • hesittation
  • hessitation
  • hestiation
  • hhesitation
  • hseitation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehsitation2heistation2hesiattion2hesitaiton2hesitasion1hesitatino2hesitationn1hesitatoin2
Edit distance from "hesitation"

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 "hesitation"?
"hesitation" is spelled H-E-S-I-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /hɛzɪˈteɪʃən/.
What does "hesitation" mean?
As a noun, "hesitation" means: An act of hesitating
What words are commonly confused with "hesitation"?
"hesitation" is commonly confused with "habitation", "hesitating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hesitation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hesitation" is /hɛzɪˈteɪʃən/. 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 "hesitation"?
From Latin haesitātiōnem, accusative singular of haesitātiō (“hesitating, stammering”), from haesitō (“hesitate”). Displaced native Old English ġewand. 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 "hesitation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

impairment#13,932lighthouse#13,948distortion#13,904cumulative#13,896

Similar misspelling depth

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

overcoming15 variantsbrightest15 variantsprevailing15 variantsregulating15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list