legitimation

/lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/

//lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n// noun

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

"legitimation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“legitimation” is uncommon English (frequency #90,657 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,657
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process of making or declaring a person legitimate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-legitimation · legitimation · English

legitimation · rank #90,657 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,657
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH legionary

Nearest frequency peer: legionary (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “legitimation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “legitimation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for legitimation
PropertyValue
Headwordlegitimation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/
Letters12
Frequency rank#90,657
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “legitimation” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).legitimationfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “legionary” (#90,656), “leitmotif” (#90,658), “lege” (#90,655). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “legitimation” is #90,657. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

legitimation is uncommon English at frequency #90,657 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for legitimation in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English legittimacion, from Middle French legitimacion and its etymon, Medieval Latin lēgitimātiō, lēgitimātiōnem, from lēgitimāre (“to legitimate”), from Latin lēgitimus. The correct English form is legitimation, spelled L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of making or declaring a person legitimate.
  2. 2
    Legitimacy.
  3. 3
    The act of establishing something as lawful; authorization.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I am not Sir Roberts sonne, / I haue disclaim'd Sir Robert and my land, / Legitimation, name, and all is gone […].
  2. Le Paige established a legitimation for the Parlement's authority which was part history, part romantic fiction, and part political wishful thinking.

Etymology

From Middle English legittimacion, from Middle French legitimacion and its etymon, Medieval Latin lēgitimātiō, lēgitimātiōnem, from lēgitimāre (“to legitimate”), from Latin lēgitimus.

Synonyms

legitimization

This word in other languages

légitimation(Français)

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 "legitimation"?
"legitimation" is spelled L-E-G-I-T-I-M-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/.
What does "legitimation" mean?
As a noun, "legitimation" means: The process of making or declaring a person legitimate.
How do you pronounce "legitimation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "legitimation" is /lɪdʒɪtɪˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/. 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 "legitimation"?
From Middle English legittimacion, from Middle French legitimacion and its etymon, Medieval Latin lēgitimātiō, lēgitimātiōnem, from lēgitimāre (“to legitimate”), from Latin lēgitimus. 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 "legitimation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

neuroanatomy#90,764osteogenesis#90,806peroxidation#90,831Phillipsburg#90,836

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list