reformation
/ˌɹɛfəˈmeɪʃən/
"reformation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“reformation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,398 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,398
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices, etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social, political or religious...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reformation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɹɛfəˈmeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #14,398 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reformation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reformation is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɹɛfəˈmeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,398 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for reformation, with forms such as "erformation", "refformation", and "refomration". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reformacioun, reformation, from Middle French reformation and Latin refōrmātiō, refōrmātiōnis (“reform, change”), from refōrmō (“transform, reshape”), from re- + fōrmō (“shape, form”). By surface analysis, reform + -ation. The correct English form is reformation, spelled R-E-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1An improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices, etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social, political or religious affairs or in the conduct of persons or operation of organizations.
- 2Change or correction, by a court in equity, to a written instrument to conform to the original intention of the parties.
Etymology
From Middle English reformacioun, reformation, from Middle French reformation and Latin refōrmātiō, refōrmātiōnis (“reform, change”), from refōrmō (“transform, reshape”), from re- + fōrmō (“shape, form”). By surface analysis, reform + -ation.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erformation,refformation,refomration,reforamtion,reformaiton,reformasion,reformatino,reformationn,reformatoin,reformattion,reformmation,reformtaion,reforrmation,refromation,reofrmation,rfeormation,rreformation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reformation - 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.
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
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Using “reformation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɹɛfəˈmeɪʃən/ (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.