limitation
/lɪmɪˈteɪʃən/noun
limitation is spelled L-I-M-I-T-A-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, limitation means “The act of limiting or the state of being limited” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of limitation is limitations.
How many letters and syllables are in limitation?
| Letters | 10: L-I-M-I-T-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is limitation?
Limitation appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th 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 limitation?
- /lɪmɪˈteɪʃən/
Limitation 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: En-us-limitation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of limitation
- limitations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does limitation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of limiting or the state of being limited.
- 2
A restriction; a boundary, real or metaphorical, caused by some thing or some circumstance.
Getting into his wheelchair after his amputation, it felt like a limitation you could roll in.
- 3
An imperfection or shortcoming that limits something's use or value.
- 4
A time period after which some legal action may no longer be brought.
The lawyer obtained impunity by dragging his obviously guilty client's case beyond the ten-year limitation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Limitation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | limitation |
| German | Limitieren, Limitierung, Begrenzen, Begrenzung , Einschränkung |
| Portuguese | limitação |
| Spanish | limitación , cortapisa |
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 limitation come from?
Borrowed from Latin limitatio. Morphologically limit + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).