ration

/ˈɹæʃən/

//ˈɹæʃən// noun

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

"ration" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ration” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,374. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,374
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A portion of some limited resource, especially food, allocated to a person or group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ration · ration · English

ration · rank #23,374 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,374
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rapture

Nearest frequency peer: rapture (-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 “ration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ration” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ration vs rayon
67% similar
ration vs region
67% similar
ration vs rattan
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ration
PropertyValue
Headwordration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹæʃən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,374
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ration”

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).rationlands 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 “rapture” (#23,373), “ravaged” (#23,375), “rapport” (#23,372). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ration” is #23,374. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around ration (IPA /ˈɹæʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,374 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A portion of some limited resource, especially food, allocated to a person or group.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ration, with forms such as "artion", "raiton", and "rasion". 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 also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "rayon", "region", "rattan", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French ration. Doublet of reason and ratio. The correct English form is ration, spelled R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A portion of some limited resource, especially food, allocated to a person or group.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The corn ration was drastically reduced, and it was announced that an extra potato ration would be issued to make up for it.

Etymology

From French ration. Doublet of reason and ratio.

This word in other languages

ración(Español)ration(Français)Ration(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • artion
  • raiton
  • rasion
  • ratino
  • rationn
  • ratoin
  • rattion
  • rration
  • rtaion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

artion2raiton2rasion1ratino2rationn1ratoin2rattion1rration1
Edit distance from "ration"

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 "ration"?
"ration" is spelled R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹæʃən/.
What does "ration" mean?
As a noun, "ration" means: A portion of some limited resource, especially food, allocated to a person or group.
What words are commonly confused with "ration"?
"ration" is commonly confused with "rayon", "region", "rattan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ration" is /ˈɹæʃən/. 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 "ration"?
From French ration. Doublet of reason and ratio. 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 "ration", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

piazza#23,360shroud#23,394passer#23,353Slovak#23,399

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

rapport9 variantspebbles9 variantsTarzan9 variantsLarkin9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list