libration
/laɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/noun
libration is spelled L-I-B-R-A-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 138,319th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, libration means “The act of librating” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of libration is librations.
How many letters and syllables are in libration?
| Letters | 9: L-I-B-R-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 21 million words; the 138,319th 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 libration?
Libration appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 138,319th 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 libration?
- US /laɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/
Libration has 3 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-libration.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with libration?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as libration 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 libration
- librations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does libration mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of librating.
- 2
The apparent wobble or variation in the visible side of the Moon that permanently faces the Earth, allowing observers on Earth to see, over a period of time, slightly more than half of the lunar surface.
- 3
A similar rotational or orbital characteristic of some other celestial body.
- 4
The oscillation of an angle about a stable equilibrium point.
- 5
A vibrational degree of freedom whereby a group of atoms partly rotates back and forth, similar to the Moon's motion.
- 6
A wavering between two opposing thoughts or choices.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Libration in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Ausschwingen, Pendeln , Libration |
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 libration come from?
From Latin lībrātiō (“a hurling, swinging”), from lībrō (“poise, cause to swing”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).