machination
/ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən/
"machination" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“machination” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes.
Corpus desk
Index EN-machination · machination · English
machination · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "M" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | machination |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “machination” in English
Rare enough to double-check
machination is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for machination in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English machynacion, machynacyon, from Middle French machination and directly Latin māchinātiōnem, from māchinor (“devise, invent”). By surface analysis, machinate + -ion or machine + -ation. The correct English form is machination, spelled M-A-C-H-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes.
- 2The act of machinating or plotting.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how machination appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Machinations, hollowneſſe, treacherie, and all ruinous diſorders follow vs diſquietly to our Graues.
He witnessed her palpitating bosom, the lifeless hues and disconsolate expression of her interesting countenance; yet, from the machinations of his evil passions, he would have proceeded further, until, entirely overcome, he had seen her drop motionless in her chair, in order that he might have the luxury of supporting her within his arms, and of recallin…
Etymology
From Middle English machynacion, machynacyon, from Middle French machination and directly Latin māchinātiōnem, from māchinor (“devise, invent”). By surface analysis, machinate + -ion or machine + -ation.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.