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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,985 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,985
frequency rank, English
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of ordaining or the state of being ordained.

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)

Where “ordination” 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). ordination 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 ordination is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,985 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “ordination”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-R-D-I-N-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ordinator” - see the side-by-side comparison. ordination vs ordinator
  • 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