ordination

/ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/

//ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩// noun

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

"ordination" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ordination” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,985. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,985
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of ordaining or the state of being ordained.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ordination · ordination · English

ordination · rank #16,985 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,985
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Olivier

Nearest frequency peer: Olivier (-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 “ordination”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ordination” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ordination vs ordinator
80% similar
ordination vs origination
82% similar

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

Key facts for ordination
PropertyValue
Headwordordination
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#16,985
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ordination”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ordinationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Olivier” (#16,984), “obituary” (#16,983), “Otis” (#16,987). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ordination” is #16,985. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around ordination (IPA /ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,985 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for ordination, with forms such as "odrination", "orddination", and "ordiantion". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "ordinator", "origination", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French ordination, from Old French ordinacion, from Latin ordinatio. The correct English form is ordination, spelled O-R-D-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of ordaining or the state of being ordained.
  2. 2
    The ceremony in which a priest is consecrated, considered a sacrament in the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
  3. 3
    the ceremony in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni is ordained into the sangha
  4. 4
    A statistical technique for ordering data from a large number of sites or populations by arranging the data as points in a multidimensional coordinate frame, in which patterns can be discerned; an instance of this.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how ordination appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Coordinate term: cluster analysis

Etymology

From Middle French ordination, from Old French ordinacion, from Latin ordinatio.

This word in other languages

ordenación(Español)ordination(Français)ordenação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • odrination
  • orddination
  • ordiantion
  • ordinaiton
  • ordinasion
  • ordinatino
  • ordinationn
  • ordinatoin
  • ordinattion
  • ordinnation
  • ordintaion
  • ordniation
  • oridnation
  • orrdination
  • rodination

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

odrination2orddination1ordiantion2ordinaiton2ordinasion1ordinatino2ordinationn1ordinatoin2
Edit distance from "ordination"

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 "ordination"?
"ordination" is spelled O-R-D-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/.
What does "ordination" mean?
As a noun, "ordination" means: The act of ordaining or the state of being ordained.
What words are commonly confused with "ordination"?
"ordination" is commonly confused with "ordinator", "origination". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ordination"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ordination" is /ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/. 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 "ordination"?
From Middle French ordination, from Old French ordinacion, from Latin ordinatio. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ordination", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

persuasive#16,992morphology#16,977insightful#16,944indefinite#16,942

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

immortality15 variantsfortnight15 variantsarithmetic15 variantscommonplace15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list