ovation

[ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]

/[ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]/ noun

"ovation" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ovation” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,926. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,926
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ovation · ovation · English

ovation · rank #19,926 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,926
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Osama

Nearest frequency peer: Osama (-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 “ovation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ovation” 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).

ovation vs ovulation
78% similar
ovation vs option
71% similar
ovation vs ovarian
71% similar

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

Key facts for ovation
PropertyValue
Headwordovation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,926
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ovation”

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).ovationlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Osama” (#19,925), “oversees” (#19,927), “palaces” (#19,928). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ovation” is #19,926. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around ovation (IPA [ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,926 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for ovation, with forms such as "oavtion", "ovaiton", and "ovasion". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "ovulation", "option", "ovarian", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin ovātiōnem. The correct English form is ovation, spelled O-V-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.
  2. 2
    A (ceremony for the) recognition of some achievement.
  3. 3
    Prolonged enthusiastic applause.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Triumph, a Solemn Honour done to Generals after great Victories, receiving them into Town with Publick Acclamations; there were two ſorts among the Romans; the Great, that was ſimply called Tr[i]umph; and the Little called, Ovation; […] [I]t was by Special Priviledge that L. Cornelius Lentulus, Proconſul, was admitted to this Honour of an Ovation, in 553.…
  2. The Dictator [Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus] was allow'd a Triumph, and [Aulus Cornelius] Coſſus an Ovation, wherein he appear'd with the Spoils of K[ing] Volumnius [i.e., Lars Tolumnius], and fix'd them as a ſolemn Offering in the Temple of Jupiter Feretrius, being the firſt Spolia Opima that had been brought thither ſince the Time of Romulus.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin ovātiōnem.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oavtion
  • ovaiton
  • ovasion
  • ovatino
  • ovationn
  • ovatoin
  • ovattion
  • ovtaion
  • ovvation
  • voation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oavtion2ovaiton2ovasion1ovatino2ovationn1ovatoin2ovattion1ovtaion2
Edit distance from "ovation"

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 "ovation"?
"ovation" is spelled O-V-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩].
What does "ovation" mean?
As a noun, "ovation" means: A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.
What words are commonly confused with "ovation"?
"ovation" is commonly confused with "ovulation", "option", "ovarian". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ovation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ovation" is [ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]. 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 "ovation"?
Learned borrowing from Latin ovātiōnem. 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 "ovation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list