incantation
/ɪnkænˈteɪʃən/
"incantation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“incantation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,419 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #49,419
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or creating other magical results.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | incantation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnkænˈteɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #49,419 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “incantation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for incantation is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnkænˈteɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,419 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 incantation, with forms such as "icnantation", "inacntation", and "incanattion". 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, "incarnation", "indentation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English incantacioun, from Old French incantation, from Latin incantatio. More at enchant. The correct English form is incantation, spelled I-N-C-A-N-T-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or creating other magical results.
- 2A formula of words used as above.
- 3Any esoteric command or procedure.
Etymology
From Middle English incantacioun, from Old French incantation, from Latin incantatio. More at enchant.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: icnantation,inacntation,incanattion,incanntation,incantaiton,incantasion,incantatino,incantationn,incantatoin,incantattion,incanttaion,incanttation,incatnation,inccantation,incnatation,inncantation,nicantation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incantation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "incantation"?
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Using “incantation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-A-N-T-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnkænˈteɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “incarnation” - see the side-by-side comparison. incantation vs incarnation
- 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.