ligation
/lɪˈɡeɪʃən/noun
ligation is spelled L-I-G-A-T-I-O-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ligation means “Something that ties, a ligature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ligation is ligations.
How many letters and syllables are in ligation?
| Letters | 8: L-I-G-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 ligation?
Ligation appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 ligation?
- US /lɪˈɡeɪʃən/
Ligation 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-ligation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ligation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ligation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Spelled with the same letters in another order: intaglio, taglioni.
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 ligation
- ligations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ligation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something that ties, a ligature.
- 2
The act of tying, of applying a ligature.
- 3
The state of having a ligature, of being tied.
- 4
The act of tying off or sealing a blood vessel, fallopian tube, etc during surgery; act of ligating.
- 5
The formation of a complex by reaction with a ligand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ligation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of tying:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | ligación |
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 ligation come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin ligatio, ligationis, from Latin ligo. Doublet of liaison.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).