retaliation
/ɹɪˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/noun
retaliation is spelled R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, retaliation means “Violent or otherwise punitive response to an act of harm or perceived injustice; a hitting back; revenge” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of retaliation is retaliations.
How many letters and syllables are in retaliation?
| Letters | 11: R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is retaliation?
Retaliation appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th 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 retaliation?
- UK /ɹiˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ɹɪˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ɹə-/
Retaliation 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-retaliation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with retaliation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as retaliation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of retaliation
- retaliations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does retaliation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Violent or otherwise punitive response to an act of harm or perceived injustice; a hitting back; revenge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Retaliation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of responding violently to an act of harm or perceived injustice:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | représailles |
| German | Vergeltung |
| Portuguese | retaliação, represália |
| Spanish | represalia, retaliación |
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 retaliation come from?
From retaliate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).