ovation
o·vat·ion/oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/noun, verb
ovation is spelled O-V-A-T-I-O-N: 7 letters and 3 syllables (o·vat·ion). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ovation means “A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ovation is ovations.
How many letters and syllables are in ovation?
| Letters | 7: O-V-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: o·vat·ion |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ovation?
Ovation appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ovation?
- UK [ə(ʊ)ˈveɪ.ʃn̩]
- US /oʊˈveɪ.ʃən/
- US [oʊˈveɪ.ʃn̩]
Ovation has 3 syllables, split o·vat·ion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-ovation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ovation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ovation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ovation
- ovations plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ovationing participle, present
- ovationed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ovation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph.
- 2
A (ceremony for the) recognition of some achievement.
- 3
Prolonged enthusiastic applause.
- 4
obsoleterareThe act of laying eggs.
verb
- 1
informalrareTo give (someone) an ovation (prolonged enthusiastic applause).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ovation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense prolonged enthusiastic applause:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ovation |
| German | Ovation, Beifallssturm, tosender Beifall |
| Portuguese | ovação |
| Spanish | ovación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ovation come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin ovātiōnem.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).