inspiration

/ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“inspiration” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,564. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,564
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 drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of breathing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inspiration · inspiration · English

inspiration · rank #3,564 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,564
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH illness

Nearest frequency peer: illness (-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 “inspiration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inspiration” 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).

inspiration vs instigation
82% similar
inspiration vs inspirational
85% similar

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

Key facts for inspiration
PropertyValue
Headwordinspiration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#3,564
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inspiration”

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).inspirationlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “illness” (#3,563), “institution” (#3,565), “hired” (#3,562). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inspiration” is #3,564. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around inspiration (IPA /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,564 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 inspiration, with forms such as "innspiration", "inpsiration", and "insipration". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "instigation", "inspirational", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English inspiracioun, from Old French inspiration, from Late Latin īnspīrātiōnem (nominative: īnspīrātiō), from Latin īnspīrātus (past participle of inspīrō). By surface analysis, inspire + -ation. Displaced native Old English onbryrdnes (litera… The correct English form is inspiration, spelled I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of breathing.
  2. 2
    A single inward breath (intake of air).
  3. 3
    A supernatural divine influence on the prophets, apostles, or sacred writers, by which they were qualified to communicate moral or religious truth with authority; a supernatural influence which qualifies people to receive and communicate divine truth; also, the truth communicated.
  4. 4
    The act or process of an elevating or stimulating influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity.
  5. 5
    A person, object, or situation which quickens or stimulates an influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity.
  6. 6
    A new idea, especially one which arises suddenly and is clever or creative.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Holonym: respiration
  2. The respiratory movements are no longer normal and rhythmic acts of inspiration and exspiration, but abnormal and irregular expiratory movements

Etymology

From Middle English inspiracioun, from Old French inspiration, from Late Latin īnspīrātiōnem (nominative: īnspīrātiō), from Latin īnspīrātus (past participle of inspīrō). By surface analysis, inspire + -ation. Displaced native Old English onbryrdnes (literally “in-pricked-ness”).

This word in other languages

inspiración(Español)inspiration(Français)Einatmung(Deutsch)inspiração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innspiration
  • inpsiration
  • insipration
  • inspiartion
  • inspiraiton
  • inspirasion
  • inspiratino
  • inspirationn
  • inspiratoin
  • inspirattion
  • inspirration
  • inspirtaion
  • insppiration
  • inspriation
  • insspiration
  • isnpiration
  • nispiration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innspiration1inpsiration2insipration2inspiartion2inspiraiton2inspirasion1inspiratino2inspirationn1
Edit distance from "inspiration"

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 "inspiration"?
"inspiration" is spelled I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "inspiration" mean?
As a noun, "inspiration" means: The drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of breathing.
What words are commonly confused with "inspiration"?
"inspiration" is commonly confused with "instigation", "inspirational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inspiration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inspiration" is /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.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 "inspiration"?
From Middle English inspiracioun, from Old French inspiration, from Late Latin īnspīrātiōnem (nominative: īnspīrātiō), from Latin īnspīrātus (past participle of inspīrō). By surface analysis, inspire + -ation. Displaced native Old English onbryrdn... 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 "inspiration", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

institution#3,565participate#3,518essentially#3,489contributed#3,681

Similar misspelling depth

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

Pennsylvania17 variantselectricity17 variantsreplacement17 variantsexplanation17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list