privation
/pɹɪˈveɪʃən/
"privation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“privation” is an uncommon English word, ranked #78,960 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #78,960
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being deprived of or lacking an attribute formerly or properly possessed; the loss or absence of such an attribute.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | privation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɹɪˈveɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #78,960 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “privation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for privation is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɹɪˈveɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #78,960 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.
No misspelling variants are generated for privation in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English privacioun, from Middle French privation, privacion, from Old French privacion, from Latin prīvātiō; compare French privation. See private. The correct English form is privation, spelled P-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The state of being deprived of or lacking an attribute formerly or properly possessed; the loss or absence of such an attribute.
- 2The state of being very poor, and lacking the basic necessities of life.
- 3The act of depriving someone of such basic necessities; deprivation.
- 4Degradation or suspension from an office.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English privacioun, from Middle French privation, privacion, from Old French privacion, from Latin prīvātiō; compare French privation. See private.
This word in other languages
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 "privation"?
What does "privation" mean?
How do you pronounce "privation"?
What is the origin of the word "privation"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “privation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-I-V-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pɹɪˈveɪʃən/ (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.