operation
/ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
"operation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“operation” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,279. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #1,279
- frequency rank, English
- 1,431
- “O” headwords
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The method by which a device performs its function.
Corpus desk
Index EN-operation · operation · English
operation · rank #1,279 · 13 variants · 7 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #1,279
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
- VAR-HIGH 13 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,431
- PHOTO-FINISH older
Nearest frequency peer: older (-1 rank slots)
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.
Rank peers near misspelling magnet “operation”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- learning
learning
98,725 corpus weight
- multiple
multiple
98,724 corpus weight
- older
older
98,723 corpus weight
- operation
operation
98,722 corpus weight
- organization
organization
98,721 corpus weight
- passed
passed
98,720 corpus weight
What this shows “operation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | operation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #1,279 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “operation”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 13 spelling variants around operation (IPA /ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,279 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for operation, with forms such as "oepration", "opeartion", and "operaiton". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "oration", "operator", "operative", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃épos Proto-Italic *opos Latin opus Latin opera Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *… The correct English form is operation, spelled O-P-E-R-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The method by which a device performs its function.
- 2The method or practice by which actions are done.
- 3The act or process of operating (verb): agency; the exertion of power, physical, mechanical, or moral.
- 4A planned undertaking.
- 5A business or organization.
- 6A surgical procedure.
- 7A procedure for generating a value from one or more other values (the operands).
- 8A procedure for generating a value from one or more other values (the operands).
- 9A military campaign (e.g. Operation Desert Storm).
- 10Effect produced; influence.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how operation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
It is dangerous to look at the beam of a laser while it is in operation.
the pain and sickness caused by manna are confessedly nothing but the effects of its operations on the stomach and guts.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃épos Proto-Italic *opos Latin opus Latin opera Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Latin operātus Latin operor Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin operātiōder. Old French operacionbor. Middle English operacioun English operation From Middle English operacioun, from Old French operacion, from Latin operātiō, from the verb operor (“to work”), from opus, operis (“work”). Equivalent to operate + -ion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- oepration
- opeartion
- operaiton
- operasion
- operatino
- operationn
- operatoin
- operattion
- operration
- opertaion
- opperation
- opreation
- poeration
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of operation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "operation", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).