novation

/noʊˈveɪʃən/

//noʊˈveɪʃən// noun

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

The verdict

“novation” is an uncommon English word, ranked #95,197 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#95,197
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Replacement of a contract with one or more new contracts, in particular in financial markets the replacement of a contract between a particular buyer and seller with contracts between the clearing ...

Key facts for novation
PropertyValue
Headwordnovation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/noʊˈveɪʃən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#95,197
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “novation” 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). novation 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 novation is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /noʊˈveɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #95,197 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for novation, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin novātiō (“a renewing, rennovation”), from novō, from novus (“new”). Compare novel, novelty. The correct English form is novation, spelled N-O-V-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Replacement of a contract with one or more new contracts, in particular in financial markets the replacement of a contract between a particular buyer and seller with contracts between the clearing house and each party.
  2. 2
    A new contract between the original contracting parties whereby the first obligation is extinguished and a new obligation is substituted.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin novātiō (“a renewing, rennovation”), from novō, from novus (“new”). Compare novel, novelty.

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); 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 "novation"?
"novation" is spelled N-O-V-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /noʊˈveɪʃən/.
What does "novation" mean?
As a noun, "novation" means: Replacement of a contract with one or more new contracts, in particular in financial markets the replacement of a contract between a particular buyer and seller with contracts between the clearing ...
How do you pronounce "novation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "novation" is /noʊˈveɪʃən/. 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 "novation"?
Borrowed from Latin novātiō (“a renewing, rennovation”), from novō, from novus (“new”). Compare novel, novelty. 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 “novation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-V-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /noʊˈveɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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