permutation

/ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/

//ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"permutation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“permutation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,997. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,997
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.

Corpus desk

Index EN-permutation · permutation · English

permutation · rank #44,997 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,997
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perfumed

Nearest frequency peer: perfumed (-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 “permutation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “permutation” 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
Key facts for permutation
PropertyValue
Headwordpermutation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#44,997
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “permutation”

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).permutationlands 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 “perfumed” (#44,996), “Phan” (#44,998), “phenol” (#44,999). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “permutation” is #44,997. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around permutation (IPA /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,997 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.
  2. 2
    A one-to-one mapping from a finite set to itself.
  3. 3
    An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements.
  4. 4
    A transformation of a set's prime form, by applying one or more of certain operations, specifically, transposition, inversion, and retrograde.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Which permutation for completing our agenda items makes the most sense?
  2. This permutation takes each element to the one following it, with the last mapped back to the first.

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

permutation(Français)Permutation(Deutsch)

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.

eprmutation2pemrutation2permmutation1permtuation2permuattion2permutaiton2permutasion1permutatino2
Edit distance from "permutation"

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"?
"permutation" is spelled P-E-R-M-U-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "permutation" mean?
As a noun, "permutation" means: One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.
What are common misspellings of "permutation"?
Common misspellings include "eprmutation", "pemrutation", "permmutation", "permtuation", "permuattion". The correct spelling is "permutation".
How do you pronounce "permutation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "permutation" is /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/. 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 "permutation"?
From Middle English permutacioun, permutacyoun, from Old French permutacïon, promutatïon and Medieval Latin permūtātiōnem, accusative of permūtātiō. Morphologically permute + -ation. 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 "permutation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

overhanging#44,984radiologist#45,027nondescript#44,966referential#45,037

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

refinements17 variantsreinvention17 variantsindentation17 variantsunderwriter17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list