isolation
/ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/noun
isolation is spelled I-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, isolation means “The state of being isolated, detached, or separated; the state of being away from other people” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of isolation is isolations.
How many letters and syllables are in isolation?
| Letters | 9: I-S-O-L-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 6,884th 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 isolation?
Isolation appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th 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 isolation?
- US /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/
- US [ˈʔaɪ-]
- Australia /ˌɑesəˈlæɪʃən/
Isolation has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Berrely-isolation.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-isolation.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-isolation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with isolation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as isolation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
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 isolation
- isolations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does isolation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being isolated, detached, or separated; the state of being away from other people.
She lived her final year in complete isolation, not wanting to see anybody.
- 2
The act of isolating.
- 3
The state of not having diplomatic relations with other countries (either with most or all other countries, or with specified other countries).
- 4
The obtaining of an element from one of its compounds, or of a compound from a mixture
- 5
The separation of a patient, suffering from a contagious disease, from contact with others (compare: quarantine)
Upon returning from the field, he went into isolation for a week so as not to infect anyone with potential diseases.
- 6
A database property that determines when and how changes made in one transaction are visible to other concurrent transactions.
- 7
A Freudian defense mechanism in which a person suppresses a harmful thought from developing into a train of thought.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Isolation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | isolement , isolation |
| German | Isolierung, Isolation |
| Portuguese | isolamento, isolação |
| Spanish | aislamiento, soledad , aislación |
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 isolation come from?
First attested in 1800. From French isolation, from isolé, placed on an island (thus away from other people). Equivalent to isolate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).