pulsation

/pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/

//pʌlˈseɪʃn̩// noun

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

"pulsation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pulsation” is uncommon English (frequency #72,680 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,680
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The regular throbbing of the heart, an artery etc. in a living body; the pulse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pulsation · pulsation · English

pulsation · rank #72,680 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,680
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pulpy

Nearest frequency peer: pulpy (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “pulsation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “pulsation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pulsation
PropertyValue
Headwordpulsation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#72,680
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pulsation” in English

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).pulsationfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “pulpy” (#72,679), “pudge” (#72,677), “quartering” (#72,683). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pulsation” is #72,680. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pulsation is uncommon English at frequency #72,680 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for pulsation in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English pulsacioun (“pulsing of the blood, throbbing”), borrowed from Middle French pulsacion (“(of bells) a striking (end of 14th c.); (of a diseased part of the body) a throbbing (1377); pulsation (1575)”), and its source, Latin puls… The correct English form is pulsation, spelled P-U-L-S-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The regular throbbing of the heart, an artery etc. in a living body; the pulse.
  2. 2
    Any rhythmic beating, throbbing etc.
  3. 3
    The rhythmic increase and decrease of size in naked zoospores and plasmodia.
  4. 4
    Physical striking; a blow.
  5. 5
    A single beat, throb or vibration.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Pulsation had ceased. For three days the body was preserved unburied, during which it had acquired a stony rigidity.
  2. Lo! as a dove when up she springs ⁠To bear thro’ Heaven a tale of woe, ⁠Some dolorous message knit below The wild pulsation of her wings; Like her I go; I cannot stay; ⁠I leave this mortal ark behind […]

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English pulsacioun (“pulsing of the blood, throbbing”), borrowed from Middle French pulsacion (“(of bells) a striking (end of 14th c.); (of a diseased part of the body) a throbbing (1377); pulsation (1575)”), and its source, Latin pulsātiō (“(classical Latin) a beating or striking; (Medieval Latin, medical) rhythmical expansion and contraction (1363 in Chauliac)”). By surface analysis, pulsate + -ion.

This word in other languages

pulsação(Português)

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 "pulsation"?
"pulsation" is spelled P-U-L-S-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/.
What does "pulsation" mean?
As a noun, "pulsation" means: The regular throbbing of the heart, an artery etc. in a living body; the pulse.
How do you pronounce "pulsation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pulsation" is /pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/. 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 "pulsation"?
Inherited from Middle English pulsacioun (“pulsing of the blood, throbbing”), borrowed from Middle French pulsacion (“(of bells) a striking (end of 14th c.); (of a diseased part of the body) a throbbing (1377); pulsation (1575)”), and its source, ... 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 "pulsation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

quotidian#72,684plasterer#72,654rideshare#72,715philander#72,644

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list