representation
/ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
representation is spelled R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N: 14 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 4,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, representation means “That which represents something else” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of representation is representations.
How many letters and syllables are in representation?
| Letters | 14: R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 22 times per million words; the 4,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is representation?
Representation appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 4,015th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce representation?
- /ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/
As a noun (“An act of representing, i.e. presenting again”): /ˌɹiː.pɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/.
Representation has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-representation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with representation
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: re-presentation (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of representation
- representations plural
- repræsentation
- re-presentation
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does representation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
That which represents something else.
The Venus of Willendorf was an early representation of the female body.
- 2
The act of representing.
We are no longer happy with your representation of our company at trade events.
- 3
The appearance(s) of a particular demographic group in a piece of media, particularly in regards to how such appearances are treated.
- 4
The lawyers and staff who argue on behalf of another in court.
People who cannot afford representation are eligible for government assistance.
- 5
The ability to elect a representative to speak on one's behalf in government; the role of this representative in government.
The lack of representation in the British parliament was one of the main factors behind the American Revolution.
- 6
An action of some algebraic structure (typically a group or algebra, particularly a Lie algebra) on a vector space, such that each element acts by a linear endomorphism.
- 7
A figure, image or idea that substitutes reality.
- 8
A theatrical performance.
- 9
An act of representing, i.e. presenting again.
rates of representation to the emergency department
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate representation?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of representation: rep.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Representation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Darstellung, Verkörperung |
| Portuguese | representação |
| Spanish | representación |
| French | représentation |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does representation come from?
From Late Middle English representacioun, from Old French representacion, from Latin repraesentātiō. By surface analysis, represent + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).