# penetration

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ · frequency rank #11,086

## Definitions
1. The act of penetrating something.
2. The insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse.
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.

## Etymology
From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate + -ion.

## Easily confused with
- **penetrating** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penetrating-vs-penetration)

## Common misspellings (17)
`epnetration`, `peentration`, `penertation`, `penetartion`, `penetraiton`, `penetrasion`, `penetratino`, `penetrationn`, `penetratoin`, `penetrattion`, `penetrration`, `penetrtaion`, `penettration`, `pennetration`, `penteration`, `pneetration`, `ppenetration`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/penetration