privation
/pɹɪˈveɪʃən/noun
privation is spelled P-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 78,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, privation means “The state of being deprived of or lacking an attribute formerly or properly possessed; the loss or absence of such an attribute” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of privation is privations.
How many letters and syllables are in privation?
| Letters | 9: P-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 78,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is privation?
Privation appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 78,613th 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 privation?
- /pɹɪˈveɪʃən/
- /pɹaɪˈveɪʃən/
Privation has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-privation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of privation
- privations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does privation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being deprived of or lacking an attribute formerly or properly possessed; the loss or absence of such an attribute.
- 2
The state of being very poor, and lacking the basic necessities of life.
- 3
The act of depriving someone of such basic necessities; deprivation.
- 4
obsoleteDegradation or suspension from an office.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Privation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | privation |
| German | Entbehrung, Einschränkung, Mangel , Armut, Not |
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 privation come from?
Inherited from Middle English privacioun, from Middle French privation, privacion, from Old French privacion, from Latin prīvātiō; compare French privation. See private.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).