insolation

/ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/

//ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən// noun

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

"insolation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“insolation” is uncommon English (frequency #90,579 among 17,902 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,579
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The incident radiant energy emitted by the sun which reaches a unit area over a period of time, typically measured over a horizontal area at the Earth's surface or at the top of Earth's atmosphere.

Key facts for insolation
PropertyValue
Headwordinsolation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#90,579
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “insolation” 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). insolation lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

insolation is uncommon English at frequency #90,579 among 17,902 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for insolation, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French insolation, from Latin insolatio (“a setting or placing in the sun”). The correct English form is insolation, spelled I-N-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The incident radiant energy emitted by the sun which reaches a unit area over a period of time, typically measured over a horizontal area at the Earth's surface or at the top of Earth's atmosphere.
  2. 2
    The rate of delivery of such radiation.
  3. 3
    The act or process of exposing to the rays of the sun, such as for the purpose of medical treatment, drying or maturing, as fruits, drugs, etc., or of rendering acid, as vinegar.
  4. 4
    sunstroke.

Etymology

Borrowed from French insolation, from Latin insolatio (“a setting or placing in the sun”).

Synonyms

sunbath

This word in other languages

insolación(Español)

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 "insolation"?
"insolation" is spelled I-N-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/.
What does "insolation" mean?
As a noun, "insolation" means: The incident radiant energy emitted by the sun which reaches a unit area over a period of time, typically measured over a horizontal area at the Earth's surface or at the top of Earth's atmosphere.
How do you pronounce "insolation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "insolation" is /ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/. 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 "insolation"?
Borrowed from French insolation, from Latin insolatio (“a setting or placing in the sun”). 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 “insolation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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