permutation
/ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/
"permutation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“permutation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,997 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #44,997
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | permutation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #44,997 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “permutation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for permutation is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,997 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 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for permutation, with forms such as "eprmutation", "pemrutation", and "permmutation". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English permutacioun, permutacyoun, from Old French permutacïon, promutatïon and Medieval Latin permūtātiōnem, accusative of permūtātiō. Morphologically permute + -ation. The correct English form is permutation, spelled P-E-R-M-U-T-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.
- 2A one-to-one mapping from a finite set to itself.
- 3An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements.
- 4A transformation of a set's prime form, by applying one or more of certain operations, specifically, transposition, inversion, and retrograde.
Etymology
From Middle English permutacioun, permutacyoun, from Old French permutacïon, promutatïon and Medieval Latin permūtātiōnem, accusative of permūtātiō. Morphologically permute + -ation.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eprmutation,pemrutation,permmutation,permtuation,permuattion,permutaiton,permutasion,permutatino,permutationn,permutatoin,permutattion,permuttaion,permuttation,perrmutation,perumtation,ppermutation,premutation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of permutation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "permutation"?
What does "permutation" mean?
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Using “permutation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R-M-U-T-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.