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” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,268. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,268
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process of inhaling and exhaling.

Corpus desk

Index EN-respiration · respiration · English

respiration · rank #27,268 · 17 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,268
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH renovate

Nearest frequency peer: renovate (-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 “respiration”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “respiration” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “respiration”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).respirationlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “renovate” (#27,267), “retracted” (#27,270), “regretting” (#27,265). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “respiration” is #27,268. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around respiration (IPA /ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,268 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the dead state all is apparently without motion. No agent within indicates design, intelligence, or foresight: there is no respiration; […]
  2. Gowan snored, each respiration choking to a huddle fall, as though he would never breathe again.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "respiration", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sweepstakes#27,306unannounced#27,320materialism#27,210utilitarian#27,326

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

importation17 variantsholographic17 variantsBalochistan17 variantsgenealogical17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list