respiration

/ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/

//ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən// noun

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

"respiration" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“respiration” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,268 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,268
frequency rank, English
11
letters
17
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process of inhaling and exhaling.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

respiration vs respirator
82% similar
respiration vs restoration
82% similar
respiration vs reparation
82% similar

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

Key facts for respiration
PropertyValue
Headwordrespiration
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#27,268
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “respiration” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). respiration lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for respiration is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,268 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 respiration, with forms such as "erspiration", "repsiration", and "resipration". 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. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "respirator", "restoration", "reparation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English respiracioun, borrowed from Latin respīrātiō, respīrātiōnem. The correct English form is respiration, spelled R-E-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of inhaling and exhaling.
  2. 2
    An act of breathing: a single breath.
  3. 3
    Any similar process in an organism that lacks lungs that exchanges gases with its environment.
  4. 4
    The process by which cells obtain chemical energy by the consumption of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide.

Etymology

From Middle English respiracioun, borrowed from Latin respīrātiō, respīrātiōnem.

This word in other languages

respiración(Español)respiration(Français)Atmung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erspiration,repsiration,resipration,respiartion,respiraiton,respirasion,respiratino,respirationn,respiratoin,respirattion,respirration,respirtaion,resppiration,respriation,resspiration,rrespiration,rsepiration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of respiration - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

erspiration2repsiration2resipration2respiartion2respiraiton2respirasion1respiratino2respirationn1
Edit distance from "respiration"

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 "respiration"?
"respiration" is spelled R-E-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/.
What does "respiration" mean?
As a noun, "respiration" means: The process of inhaling and exhaling.
What words are commonly confused with "respiration"?
"respiration" is commonly confused with "respirator", "restoration", "reparation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "respiration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "respiration" is /ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/. 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 "respiration"?
From Middle English respiracioun, borrowed from Latin respīrātiō, respīrātiōnem. 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.

Using “respiration”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “respirator” - see the side-by-side comparison. respiration vs respirator
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list