occultation
oc·cul·ta·tion/ˌɑkəlˈteɪʃ(ə)n/noun
occultation is spelled O-C-C-U-L-T-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables (oc·cul·ta·tion). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, occultation means “An astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object is hidden by another celestial object that passes between it and the observer when the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of occultation is occultations.
How many letters and syllables are in occultation?
| Letters | 11: O-C-C-U-L-T-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: oc·cul·ta·tion |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is occultation?
Occultation appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd 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 occultation?
- UK /ˌɒkəlˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
- US /ˌɑkəlˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
Occultation has 4 syllables, split oc·cul·ta·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-occultation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with occultation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as occultation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃn/):
- information
- formation
- preparation
- presentation
- relation
- identification
- observation
- variation
- obligation
- simulation
- notification
- calculation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of occultation
- occultations plural
- accultation rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does occultation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object is hidden by another celestial object that passes between it and the observer when the nearer object appears larger and completely hides the more distant object.
- 2
The state of being occult (“hidden, undetected”).
- 3
The disappearance of the Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi, who is believed alive and present in this world, but hidden until his reappearance at the end of time.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Occultation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense astronomical event:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | occultation |
| German | Bedeckung, Okkultation, Verfinsterung |
| Portuguese | ocultação |
| Spanish | ocultación |
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 occultation come from?
From Latin occultātiōnem, accusative singular of occultātiō (“concealment; insinuation”), from occultāre, present active infinitive of occultō (“to conceal, hide”); analysable as occult + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).