penetration
pen·e·tra·tion/pɛ.nəˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/noun
penetration is spelled P-E-N-E-T-R-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables (pen·e·tra·tion). It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, penetration means “The act of penetrating something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of penetration is penetrations.
How many letters and syllables are in penetration?
| Letters | 11: P-E-N-E-T-R-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: pen·e·tra·tion |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th 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 penetration?
Penetration appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th 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 penetration?
- UK /pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
- US /pɛ.nəˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
Penetration has 4 syllables, split pen·e·tra·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-penetration.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with penetration?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as penetration 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 penetration
- penetrations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does penetration mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of penetrating something.
- 2
The insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse.
Any penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.
- 3
The act of penetrating a given situation with the mind or faculties; perception, discernment.
- 4
The act of progressing or moving forward through or into something.
- 5
A number or fraction that represents how many cards/decks will be dealt before shuffling, in contrast to the total number of cards/decks in play.
- 6
The proportion of the target audience who buy or use the specified product or service.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Penetration in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of penetrating:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pénétration |
| German | Penetration |
| Portuguese | penetração |
| Spanish | penetración |
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 penetration come from?
From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).