retaliation

/ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/

//ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“retaliation” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,006. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,006
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Violent or otherwise punitive response to an act of harm or perceived injustice; a hitting back; revenge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retaliation · retaliation · English

retaliation · rank #14,006 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,006
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH RF

Nearest frequency peer: RF (+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 “retaliation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retaliation” 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).

retaliation vs retardation
82% similar
retaliation vs realization
82% similar
retaliation vs realisation
82% similar

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

Key facts for retaliation
PropertyValue
Headwordretaliation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#14,006
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retaliation”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “RF” (#14,007), “replicate” (#14,004), “risking” (#14,008). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retaliation” is #14,006. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around retaliation (IPA /ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,006 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Violent or otherwise punitive response to an act of harm or perceived injustice; a hitting back; revenge.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for retaliation, with forms such as "ertaliation", "reatliation", and "retailation". 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, "retardation", "realization", "realisation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From retaliate + -ion. The correct English form is retaliation, spelled R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Violent or otherwise punitive response to an act of harm or perceived injustice; a hitting back; revenge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Hamas knew there would be massive retaliations.

Etymology

From retaliate + -ion.

This word in other languages

represalia(Español)représailles(Français)Vergeltung(Deutsch)retaliação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertaliation
  • reatliation
  • retailation
  • retalaition
  • retaliaiton
  • retaliasion
  • retaliatino
  • retaliationn
  • retaliatoin
  • retaliattion
  • retalitaion
  • retalliation
  • retlaiation
  • rettaliation
  • rretaliation
  • rtealiation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertaliation2reatliation2retailation2retalaition2retaliaiton2retaliasion1retaliatino2retaliationn1
Edit distance from "retaliation"

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 "retaliation"?
"retaliation" is spelled R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "retaliation" mean?
As a noun, "retaliation" means: Violent or otherwise punitive response to an act of harm or perceived injustice; a hitting back; revenge.
What words are commonly confused with "retaliation"?
"retaliation" is commonly confused with "retardation", "realization", "realisation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retaliation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retaliation" is /ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/. 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 "retaliation"?
From retaliate + -ion. 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 "retaliation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

obstruction#13,968ministerial#13,960wonderfully#14,052humiliation#13,930

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

sentiments16 variantsturbulence16 variantsconcluding16 variantsdistortion16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list