indentation

/ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən/

//ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən// noun

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

"indentation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indentation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,863. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,863
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 indenting or state of being indented.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indentation · indentation · English

indentation · rank #44,863 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,863
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH indecency

Nearest frequency peer: indecency (-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 “indentation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “indentation” 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).

indentation vs infestation
82% similar
indentation vs incantation
82% similar

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

Key facts for indentation
PropertyValue
Headwordindentation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#44,863
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “indentation”

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).indentationlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “indecency” (#44,862), “inebriated” (#44,864), “inexorably” (#44,865). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “indentation” is #44,863. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around indentation (IPA /ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,863 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for indentation, with forms such as "idnentation", "inddentation", and "indenattion". 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, "infestation", "incantation", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From indent + -ation. The correct English form is indentation, spelled I-N-D-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of indenting or state of being indented.
  2. 2
    A notch or recess, in the margin or border of anything.
  3. 3
    A recess or sharp depression in any surface.
  4. 4
    The act of beginning a line or series of lines at a little distance within the flush line of the column or page, as in the common way of beginning the first line of a paragraph.
  5. 5
    A measure of the distance from the flush line.
  6. 6
    A division unit of a piece of law distinguished by its indentation or by a dash.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the indentations of a leaf
  2. indentations of the coast

Etymology

From indent + -ation.

Antonyms

protrusion

This word in other languages

muesca(Español)indentation(Français)Delle(Deutsch)travessão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnentation
  • inddentation
  • indenattion
  • indenntation
  • indentaiton
  • indentasion
  • indentatino
  • indentationn
  • indentatoin
  • indentattion
  • indenttaion
  • indenttation
  • indetnation
  • indnetation
  • inedntation
  • inndentation
  • nidentation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of indentation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

idnentation2inddentation1indenattion2indenntation1indentaiton2indentasion1indentatino2indentationn1
Edit distance from "indentation"

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 "indentation"?
"indentation" is spelled I-N-D-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən/.
What does "indentation" mean?
As a noun, "indentation" means: The act of indenting or state of being indented.
What words are commonly confused with "indentation"?
"indentation" is commonly confused with "infestation", "incantation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "indentation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indentation" is /ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən/. 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 "indentation"?
From indent + -ation. 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 "indentation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

impregnable#44,859hemorrhoids#44,836mammography#44,920exoskeleton#44,767

Similar misspelling depth

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

hairdressing17 variantsoverhanging17 variantspermutation17 variantscosmetology17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list