relaxation
/ˌriː.lækˈseɪ.ʃən/
"relaxation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“relaxation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,098 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,098
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed; the opposite of stress or tension; the aim of recreation and leisure activities.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | relaxation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌriː.lækˈseɪ.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #11,098 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “relaxation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for relaxation is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌriː.lækˈseɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,098 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for relaxation, with forms such as "erlaxation", "realxation", and "relaaxtion". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "relocation", "relegation", "reparation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin relaxatio, relaxationis; equivalent to relax + -ation. The correct English form is relaxation, spelled R-E-L-A-X-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed; the opposite of stress or tension; the aim of recreation and leisure activities.
- 2A diminution of tone, tension, or firmness; specifically in pathology: a looseness; a diminution of the natural and healthy tone of parts.
- 3Remission or abatement of rigor.
- 4Remission of attention or application.
- 5Unbending; recreation; a state or occupation intended to give mental or bodily relief after effort.
- 6The transition of a nucleus, atom or molecule from a higher energy level to a lower one; the opposite of excitation
- 7The release following musical tension.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin relaxatio, relaxationis; equivalent to relax + -ation.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erlaxation,realxation,relaaxtion,relaxaiton,relaxasion,relaxatino,relaxationn,relaxatoin,relaxattion,relaxtaion,relaxxation,rellaxation,relxaation,rleaxation,rrelaxation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of relaxation - 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
How do you spell "relaxation"?
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Using “relaxation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-L-A-X-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌriː.lækˈseɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “relocation” - see the side-by-side comparison. relaxation vs relocation
- 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.