initiation
/ɪˌnɪʃ.iˈeɪ.ʃən/
"initiation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“initiation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,568 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,568
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced.
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 | initiation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪˌnɪʃ.iˈeɪ.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #14,568 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “initiation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for initiation is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˌnɪʃ.iˈeɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,568 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 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for initiation, with forms such as "iintiation", "iniitation", and "initaition". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "initiator", "initiative", "invitation", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French initiation, from Latin initiātiō. Morphologically initiate + -ion. The correct English form is initiation, spelled I-N-I-T-I-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced.
- 2The form or ceremony by which a person is introduced into any society; mode of entrance into an organized body; especially, the rite of admission into a secret society or order.
- 3The first step of transcription or of transduction.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French initiation, from Latin initiātiō. Morphologically initiate + -ion.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iintiation,iniitation,initaition,initiaiton,initiasion,initiatino,initiationn,initiatoin,initiattion,inititaion,inittiation,innitiation,intiiation,niitiation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of initiation - 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
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Using “initiation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-I-T-I-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˌnɪʃ.iˈeɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “initiator” - see the side-by-side comparison. initiation vs initiator
- 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.