oration
/ɒˈɹeɪʃən/
"oration" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“oration” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,236 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #47,236
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A formal, often ceremonial speech.
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 | oration |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɒˈɹeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #47,236 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “oration” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for oration is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɒˈɹeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,236 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for oration, with forms such as "oartion", "oraiton", and "orasion". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Orion", "Orton", "orator", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin ōrātiō, ōrātiōnem, from ōrō (“I orate”) + -ātiō (“action (nominalizer)”). Cognate with and doublet of orison. The correct English form is oration, spelled O-R-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A formal, often ceremonial speech.
- 2A lengthy speech or argument in a private setting.
- 3A specific form of short, solemn prayer said by the president of the liturgical celebration on behalf of the people.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin ōrātiō, ōrātiōnem, from ōrō (“I orate”) + -ātiō (“action (nominalizer)”). Cognate with and doublet of orison.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: oartion,oraiton,orasion,oratino,orationn,oratoin,orattion,orration,ortaion,roation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of oration - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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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Using “oration”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-R-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɒˈɹeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Orion” - see the side-by-side comparison. oration vs Orion
- 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.