inflation

/ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/

//ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"inflation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inflation” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,692 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,692
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act, instance of, or state of expansion or increase in size, especially by injection of a gas or liquid.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

inflation vs isolation
78% similar
inflation vs insulation
80% similar
inflation vs inhalation
80% similar

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

Key facts for inflation
PropertyValue
Headwordinflation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,692
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “inflation” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). inflation lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for inflation is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,692 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for inflation, with forms such as "ifnlation", "infaltion", and "infflation". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "isolation", "insulation", "inhalation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, borrowed from Old French inflation (“swelling”), from Latin īnflātiō (“expansion", "blowing up”), from īnflātus, the perfect passive participle of īnflō (“blow into, expand”), from in (“into”) + flō (“blow”). By surface analysis, inflat… The correct English form is inflation, spelled I-N-F-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act, instance of, or state of expansion or increase in size, especially by injection of a gas or liquid.
  2. 2
    An increase in the quantity of money, leading to a devaluation of existing money, adjusted for by way of higher nominal values.
  3. 3
    Undue expansion or increase, as of academic grades.
  4. 4
    An extremely rapid expansion of the universe, theorized to have occurred very shortly after the Big Bang.

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French inflation (“swelling”), from Latin īnflātiō (“expansion", "blowing up”), from īnflātus, the perfect passive participle of īnflō (“blow into, expand”), from in (“into”) + flō (“blow”). By surface analysis, inflate + -ion.

Antonyms

deflation

This word in other languages

inflado(Español)inflation(Français)Aufblasen(Deutsch)inflação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ifnlation,infaltion,infflation,inflaiton,inflasion,inflatino,inflationn,inflatoin,inflattion,infllation,infltaion,inlfation,innflation,niflation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnlation2infaltion2infflation1inflaiton2inflasion1inflatino2inflationn1inflatoin2
Edit distance from "inflation"

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 "inflation"?
"inflation" is spelled I-N-F-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/.
What does "inflation" mean?
As a noun, "inflation" means: An act, instance of, or state of expansion or increase in size, especially by injection of a gas or liquid.
What words are commonly confused with "inflation"?
"inflation" is commonly confused with "isolation", "insulation", "inhalation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inflation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inflation" is /ɪnˈfleɪ.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 "inflation"?
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French inflation (“swelling”), from Latin īnflātiō (“expansion", "blowing up”), from īnflātus, the perfect passive participle of īnflō (“blow into, expand”), from in (“into”) + flō (“blow”). By surface analys... 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.

Using “inflation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “isolation” - see the side-by-side comparison. inflation vs isolation
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list