investigation
/ɪnˌvɛs.tɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/noun
investigation is spelled I-N-V-E-S-T-I-G-A-T-I-O-N: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 56 times per million words in written English, the 1,822nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, investigation means “The act of investigating; the process of inquiring into or following up; research, especially patient or thorough inquiry or examination” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of investigation is investigations.
How many letters and syllables are in investigation?
| Letters | 13: I-N-V-E-S-T-I-G-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 56 times per million words; the 1,822nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is investigation?
Investigation appears 56 times per million words in written English, the 1,822nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce investigation?
- UK /ɪnˌvɛs.tɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ɪnˌvɛs.tɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ɪnˌvɛs.təˈɡeɪ.ʃən/
Investigation has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-investigation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with investigation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as investigation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- communication
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of investigation
- investigations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does investigation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of investigating; the process of inquiring into or following up; research, especially patient or thorough inquiry or examination
The investigation into the crime has led to various leads as well as plenty of dead ends.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate investigation?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of investigation: Ix.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Investigation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the act of investigating:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | investigation, enquête |
| German | Untersuchung |
| Portuguese | investigação |
| Spanish | investigación, pesquisa, indagación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does investigation come from?
From Middle English investigacioun, from Old French investigacion, from Latin investigatio. Morphologically investigate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).