illustration

/ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"illustration" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“illustration” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,046. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,046
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct.

Corpus desk

Index EN-illustration · illustration · English

illustration · rank #8,046 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,046
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hooked

Nearest frequency peer: hooked (-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 “illustration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “illustration” 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).

illustration vs illustrator
83% similar
illustration vs illustrative
83% similar

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

Key facts for illustration
PropertyValue
Headwordillustration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#8,046
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “illustration”

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).illustrationlands 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 “hooked” (#8,045), “impose” (#8,047), “honda” (#8,044). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “illustration” is #8,046. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around illustration (IPA /ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,046 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for illustration, with forms such as "illsutration", "illusrtation", and "illusstration". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "illustrator", "illustrative", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French illustration, from Latin illūstrātiō, from illūstrō (“I illustrate”). By surface analysis, illustrate + -ion. The correct English form is illustration, spelled I-L-L-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct.
  2. 2
    The state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
  3. 3
    Something which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
  4. 4
    A picture designed to decorate a publication, or elucidate a literary work.
  5. 5
    A calculated prevision of insurance premiums and returns (life insurance)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. England will regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup - but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd.
  2. The illustration showing the water cycle made it much easier to understand for the children.

Etymology

From Middle French illustration, from Latin illūstrātiō, from illūstrō (“I illustrate”). By surface analysis, illustrate + -ion.

This word in other languages

ejemplo(Español)illustration(Français)Illustration(Deutsch)ilustração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • illsutration
  • illusrtation
  • illusstration
  • illustartion
  • illustraiton
  • illustrasion
  • illustratino
  • illustrationn
  • illustratoin
  • illustrattion
  • illustrration
  • illustrtaion
  • illusttration
  • illutsration
  • ilulstration
  • ilustration
  • lilustration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

illsutration2illusrtation2illusstration1illustartion2illustraiton2illustrasion1illustratino2illustrationn1
Edit distance from "illustration"

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 "illustration"?
"illustration" is spelled I-L-L-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "illustration" mean?
As a noun, "illustration" means: The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct.
What words are commonly confused with "illustration"?
"illustration" is commonly confused with "illustrator", "illustrative". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "illustration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "illustration" is /ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/. 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 "illustration"?
From Middle French illustration, from Latin illūstrātiō, from illūstrō (“I illustrate”). By surface analysis, illustrate + -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 "illustration", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

notification#8,068humanitarian#8,156implementing#8,160recreational#8,191

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

interpreted17 variantsdemographic17 variantscountryside17 variantsproductions17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list