perturbation

Name: perturbation, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“perturbation” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,839. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,839
frequency rank, English: 4,417
“P” headwords: 19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Agitation; the state of being perturbed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-perturbation · perturbation · English

perturbation · rank #43,839 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #43,839
LEN-MEGA 12 letters
VOW-5 5 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 19 variants
BOOK-MID 4,417
PHOTO-FINISH Perthshire

Nearest frequency peer: Perthshire (-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.

pegging

56,165
Perthshire

56,163
perturbation

56,162
Pha

56,161
phage

56,160
phallic

56,159

What this shows “perturbation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for perturbation
Property	Value
Headword	perturbation
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	12
Frequency rank	#43,839
Misspellings tracked	19
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “perturbation”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).perturbationlands here:

#43,839

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Perthshire” (#43,838), “Pha” (#43,840), “phage” (#43,841). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “perturbation” is #43,839. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around perturbation, anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,839 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for perturbation, with forms such as "eprturbation", "perrturbation", and "pertrubation". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French perturbation, from Old French perturbacion, from Latin perturbatio. The correct English form is perturbation, spelled P-E-R-T-U-R-B-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

1
Agitation; the state of being perturbed.
2
A small change in a physical system, or more broadly any definable system (such as a biological or economic system).
3
Variation in an orbit due to the influence of external bodies.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Reſtore your ſelues, vnto your temper, Fathers; / And, vvithout perturbation, heare me ſpeake: […]
But her mind had never been in such perturbation; and it needed a very strong effort to appear attentive and cheerful till the usual hour of separating allowed her the relief of quiet reflection.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French perturbation, from Old French perturbacion, from Latin perturbatio.

This word in other languages

perturbación(Español)perturbation(Français)Störung(Deutsch)perturbação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

eprturbation
perrturbation
pertrubation
pertturbation
pertubration
perturabtion
perturbaiton
perturbasion
perturbatino
perturbationn
perturbatoin
perturbattion
perturbbation
perturbtaion
perturrbation
perutrbation
petrurbation
pperturbation
preturbation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perturbation - 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.

Edit distance from "perturbation"

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 "perturbation"?

"perturbation" is spelled P-E-R-T-U-R-B-A-T-I-O-N.

What does "perturbation" mean?

As a noun, "perturbation" means: Agitation; the state of being perturbed.

What are common misspellings of "perturbation"?

Common misspellings include "eprturbation", "perrturbation", "pertrubation", "pertturbation", "pertubration". The correct spelling is "perturbation".

What is the origin of the word "perturbation"?

Borrowed from Middle French perturbation, from Old French perturbacion, from Latin perturbatio. 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 "perturbation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pathetically#43,830 sleepwalking#43,920 hydrographic#43,698 unaffordable#43,986

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

asphyxiation19 variants disenchanted19 variants disconnection19 variants Breckenridge19 variants