negation

/nəˈɡeɪʃn̩/

//nəˈɡeɪʃn̩// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"negation" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“negation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,426 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,426
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of negating something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

negation vs negative
75% similar
negation vs notation
75% similar
negation vs nation
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for negation
PropertyValue
Headwordnegation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nəˈɡeɪʃn̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#35,426
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “negation” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). negation lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for negation is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nəˈɡeɪʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,426 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for negation, with forms such as "engation", "neagtion", and "negaiton". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "negative", "notation", "nation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English negacioun, from Old French negacion, from Latin negātiō (“a denial; negative word”). Morphologically negate + -ion. The correct English form is negation, spelled N-E-G-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of negating something.
  2. 2
    A denial or contradiction.
  3. 3
    A proposition which is the contradictory of another proposition and which can be obtained from that other proposition by the appropriately placed addition/insertion of the word "not". (Or, in symbolic logic, by prepending that proposition with the symbol for the logical operator "not".)
  4. 4
    The logical operation which obtains such (negated) propositions.

Etymology

From Middle English negacioun, from Old French negacion, from Latin negātiō (“a denial; negative word”). Morphologically negate + -ion.

This word in other languages

negación(Español)négation(Français)Verneinung(Deutsch)negação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: engation,neagtion,negaiton,negasion,negatino,negationn,negatoin,negattion,neggation,negtaion,ngeation,nnegation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of negation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

engation2neagtion2negaiton2negasion1negatino2negationn1negatoin2negattion1
Edit distance from "negation"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "negation"?
"negation" is spelled N-E-G-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /nəˈɡeɪʃn̩/.
What does "negation" mean?
As a noun, "negation" means: The act of negating something.
What words are commonly confused with "negation"?
"negation" is commonly confused with "negative", "notation", "nation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "negation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "negation" is /nəˈɡeɪʃn̩/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "negation"?
From Middle English negacioun, from Old French negacion, from Latin negātiō (“a denial; negative word”). Morphologically negate + -ion. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “negation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-G-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nəˈɡeɪʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “negative” - see the side-by-side comparison. negation vs negative
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list