# navigation

> English word · Noun · IPA /nævɪˈɡeɪʃən/ · frequency rank #6,814

## Definitions
1. The theory, practice and technology of charting a course for a road vehicle, ship, aircraft, or spaceship.
2. Traffic or travel by vessel, especially commercial shipping.
3. A canal; a waterway comprising one or more canals and river stretches in communication with one another.
4. The act of accessing different components of the user interface of software.
5. The process of finding a way through a difficult situation.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French navigation, from Latin nāvigātiōnem, accusative singular of nāvigātiō (“sailing, navigation”), from nāvigātus, perfect passive participle of nāvigō (“sail”). Morphologically navigate + -ion.

## Easily confused with
- **navigator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/navigation-vs-navigator)
- **navigational** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/navigation-vs-navigational)

## Common misspellings (15)
`anvigation`, `naivgation`, `navgiation`, `naviagtion`, `navigaiton`, `navigasion`, `navigatino`, `navigationn`, `navigatoin`, `navigattion`, `naviggation`, `navigtaion`, `navvigation`, `nnavigation`, `nvaigation`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/navigation