irritation

/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/

//ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“irritation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,736 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,736
frequency rank, English
10
letters
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of irritating or annoying.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

irritation vs imitation
80% similar
irritation vs invitation
80% similar
irritation vs irrigation
90% similar

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

Key facts for irritation
PropertyValue
Headwordirritation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#16,736
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “irritation” 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). irritation lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for irritation is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,736 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for irritation, with forms such as "irirtation", "iritation", and "irriattion". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "imitation", "invitation", "irrigation", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French irritation, from Latin irrītātiō, from irrītāre (“to excite”). The correct English form is irritation, spelled I-R-R-I-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of irritating or annoying.
  2. 2
    The state of being irritated.
  3. 3
    A thing or person that annoys.
  4. 4
    A state of inflammation or of painful reaction to cell or tissue damage.
  5. 5
    A condition of morbid excitability or oversensitiveness of an organ or part of the body; a state in which the application of ordinary stimuli produces pain or excessive or vitiated action.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French irritation, from Latin irrītātiō, from irrītāre (“to excite”).

This word in other languages

irritación(Español)irritation(Français)Ärger(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irirtation,iritation,irriattion,irritaiton,irritasion,irritatino,irritationn,irritatoin,irritattion,irrittaion,irrittation,irrtiation,riritation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

irirtation2iritation1irriattion2irritaiton2irritasion1irritatino2irritationn1irritatoin2
Edit distance from "irritation"

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 "irritation"?
"irritation" is spelled I-R-R-I-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "irritation" mean?
As a noun, "irritation" means: The act of irritating or annoying.
What words are commonly confused with "irritation"?
"irritation" is commonly confused with "imitation", "invitation", "irrigation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "irritation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irritation" is /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.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 "irritation"?
Borrowed from Middle French irritation, from Latin irrītātiō, from irrītāre (“to excite”). 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 “irritation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-R-R-I-T-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪɹ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “imitation” - see the side-by-side comparison. irritation vs imitation
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list