infestation

/ɪnfɛsˈteɪʃən/

//ɪnfɛsˈteɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“infestation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,314. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,314
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The presence of a large number of pest organisms in an area or field, on the surface of a host or anything that might contact a host, or in the soil.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infestation · infestation · English

infestation · rank #23,314 · 17 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,314
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inertia

Nearest frequency peer: inertia (-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 “infestation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infestation” 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).

infestation vs indentation
82% similar

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

Key facts for infestation
PropertyValue
Headwordinfestation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnfɛsˈteɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#23,314
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infestation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).infestationlands 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 “inertia” (#23,313), “insurrection” (#23,315), “intolerable” (#23,316). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infestation” is #23,314. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around infestation (IPA /ɪnfɛsˈteɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,314 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The presence of a large number of pest organisms in an area or field, on the surface of a host or anything that might contact a host, or in the soil.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for infestation, with forms such as "ifnestation", "inefstation", and "infesattion". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "indentation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French infestation, from Late Latin infestatio. Morphologically infest + -ation. The correct English form is infestation, spelled I-N-F-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The presence of a large number of pest organisms in an area or field, on the surface of a host or anything that might contact a host, or in the soil.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Guatemalan snowpea production has continually been harmed by insect and disease infestations.
  2. You've probably heard about Beemageddon. Over the past few years, colony collapse disorder – thought to be brought on by a pernicious combination of overwork, bad weather, pesticides and infestations of parasitic varroa mites – has been threatening to wipe out honeybees all over the world, and with them many of our food crops.

Etymology

From Middle French infestation, from Late Latin infestatio. Morphologically infest + -ation.

This word in other languages

infestación(Español)Befall(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnestation
  • inefstation
  • infesattion
  • infesstation
  • infestaiton
  • infestasion
  • infestatino
  • infestationn
  • infestatoin
  • infestattion
  • infesttaion
  • infesttation
  • infetsation
  • inffestation
  • infsetation
  • innfestation
  • nifestation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnestation2inefstation2infesattion2infesstation1infestaiton2infestasion1infestatino2infestationn1
Edit distance from "infestation"

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 "infestation"?
"infestation" is spelled I-N-F-E-S-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnfɛsˈteɪʃən/.
What does "infestation" mean?
As a noun, "infestation" means: The presence of a large number of pest organisms in an area or field, on the surface of a host or anything that might contact a host, or in the soil.
What words are commonly confused with "infestation"?
"infestation" is commonly confused with "indentation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infestation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infestation" is /ɪnfɛsˈteɪʃən/. 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 "infestation"?
From Middle French infestation, from Late Latin infestatio. Morphologically infest + -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 "infestation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

intolerable#23,316hairdresser#23,291particulars#23,352pretentious#23,367

Similar misspelling depth

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

insurrection17 variantsrudimentary17 variantsdisarmament17 variantsconsecrated17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list