rotation

/ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/

//ɹoʊˈteɪʃən// noun

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

"rotation" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rotation” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,293. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,293
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of turning around a centre or an axis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rotation · rotation · English

rotation · rank #6,293 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,293
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH separately

Nearest frequency peer: separately (+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 “rotation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rotation” 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).

rotation vs rotator
75% similar
rotation vs rotational
80% similar
rotation vs ration
75% similar

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

Key facts for rotation
PropertyValue
Headwordrotation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,293
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rotation”

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).rotationlands 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 “separately” (#6,294), “rebel” (#6,291), “shaking” (#6,295). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rotation” is #6,293. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around rotation (IPA /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,293 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for rotation, with forms such as "ortation", "roattion", and "rotaiton". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "rotator", "rotational", "ration", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin rotatiō. By surface analysis, rotate + -ion. The correct English form is rotation, spelled R-O-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of turning around a centre or an axis.
  2. 2
    A single complete cycle around a centre or an axis.
  3. 3
    A regular variation in a sequence, such as to even out wear, or people taking turns in a task; a duty roster.
  4. 4
    Тhe movement of investments between different sectors of an economy, or styles of investing, based on anticipated changes in the economic or market cycle.
  5. 5
    An operation on a metric space that is a continuous isometry and fixes at least one point.
  6. 6
    The set of starting pitchers of a team.
  7. 7
    The step during takeoff when the pilot commands the vehicle to lift the nose wheel off the ground during the takeoff roll. (see also: V2)
  8. 8
    Repeated play of songs on a radio station, advertisements on a television channel, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.
  2. The earth's rotation about its axis is responsible for its being slightly oblate rather than a sphere.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rotatiō. By surface analysis, rotate + -ion.

Synonyms

turningrevolutionrotarosterduty rosterscheduleturnturn and turn aboutcycling

This word in other languages

rotación(Español)rotation(Français)Rotation(Deutsch)rotação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ortation
  • roattion
  • rotaiton
  • rotasion
  • rotatino
  • rotationn
  • rotatoin
  • rotattion
  • rottaion
  • rottation
  • rrotation
  • rtoation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rotation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ortation2roattion2rotaiton2rotasion1rotatino2rotationn1rotatoin2rotattion1
Edit distance from "rotation"

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 "rotation"?
"rotation" is spelled R-O-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/.
What does "rotation" mean?
As a noun, "rotation" means: The act of turning around a centre or an axis.
What words are commonly confused with "rotation"?
"rotation" is commonly confused with "rotator", "rotational", "ration". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rotation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rotation" is /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/. 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 "rotation"?
Borrowed from Latin rotatiō. By surface analysis, rotate + -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 "rotation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

realised#6,290starring#6,299pressing#6,286obsessed#6,272

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

warehouse12 variantsNintendo12 variantsaffecting12 variantscommented12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list