self-determination
/ˌsɛlfdɪˌtɜː(ɹ)mɪˈneɪʃən/
"self-determination" is a 17-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“self-determination” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability or human right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
Corpus desk
Index EN-self-determination · self-determination · English
self-determination · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 18 letters
- VOW-7 7 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | self-determination |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌsɛlfdɪˌtɜː(ɹ)mɪˈneɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “self-determination” in English
Rare enough to double-check
self-determination is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌsɛlfdɪˌtɜː(ɹ)mɪˈneɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for self-determination in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From self- + determination. The correct English form is self-determination, spelled S-E-L-F---D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The ability or human right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
- 2The political independence of a people
- 3self-determination of peoples: the collective right to determine its own destiny in the international order, to choose its own political status and to determine its own form of economic, cultural and social development, the right to establish a state
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how self-determination appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has categorically ruled out any new negotiations saying the future of the Falklands can only be decided by the islanders themselves in accordance with the UN principle of self-determination.
Etymology
From self- + determination.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.