invitation

/ɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃən/

//ɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“invitation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,700. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,700
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company.

Corpus desk

Index EN-invitation · invitation · English

invitation · rank #5,700 · 15 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,700
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH judicial

Nearest frequency peer: judicial (+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 “invitation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “invitation” 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).

invitation vs irritation
80% similar
invitation vs invocation
80% similar
invitation vs invitational
83% similar

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

Key facts for invitation
PropertyValue
Headwordinvitation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,700
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “invitation”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “judicial” (#5,701), “inventory” (#5,698), “justify” (#5,702). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “invitation” is #5,700. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around invitation (IPA /ɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,700 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for invitation, with forms such as "inivtation", "innvitation", and "inviattion". 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, "irritation", "invocation", "invitational", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English invitacioun, ynvytacioun, from Latin invītātio, reinforced by Middle French invitation. By surface analysis, invite + -ation. Displaced native Middle English lathinge from Old English laþung (see dialectal English lathing). The correct English form is invitation, spelled I-N-V-I-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company.
  2. 2
    A document or verbal message conveying an invitation.
  3. 3
    Allurement; enticement.
  4. 4
    A line that is intentionally left open to encourage the opponent to attack.
  5. 5
    The brief exhortation introducing the confession in the Anglican communion-office.
  6. 6
    A bid that tells one's partner that game or slam is likely if their hand is at the strong end of what they have indicated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an invitation to a party, to a dinner, or to visit a friend
  2. At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

Etymology

From Middle English invitacioun, ynvytacioun, from Latin invītātio, reinforced by Middle French invitation. By surface analysis, invite + -ation. Displaced native Middle English lathinge from Old English laþung (see dialectal English lathing).

Synonyms

invitementlathing

This word in other languages

invitación(Español)invitation(Français)Einladung(Deutsch)convite(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inivtation
  • innvitation
  • inviattion
  • invitaiton
  • invitasion
  • invitatino
  • invitationn
  • invitatoin
  • invitattion
  • invittaion
  • invittation
  • invtiation
  • invvitation
  • ivnitation
  • nivitation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of invitation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

inivtation2innvitation1inviattion2invitaiton2invitasion1invitatino2invitationn1invitatoin2
Edit distance from "invitation"

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 "invitation"?
"invitation" is spelled I-N-V-I-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "invitation" mean?
As a noun, "invitation" means: The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company.
What words are commonly confused with "invitation"?
"invitation" is commonly confused with "irritation", "invocation", "invitational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "invitation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "invitation" is /ɪn.vɪˈteɪ.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 "invitation"?
From Middle English invitacioun, ynvytacioun, from Latin invītātio, reinforced by Middle French invitation. By surface analysis, invite + -ation. Displaced native Middle English lathinge from Old English laþung (see dialectal English lathing). 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 "invitation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inspection#5,694meaningful#5,710conviction#5,668associates#5,657

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

northwest15 variantsstrangers15 variantswrestling15 variantsvegetables15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list