sensation

/sɛnˈseɪʃən/

//sɛnˈseɪʃən// noun

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

"sensation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sensation” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,346. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,346
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A physical feeling or perception from something that comes into contact with the body; something sensed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sensation · sensation · English

sensation · rank #8,346 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,346
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sebastian

Nearest frequency peer: Sebastian (-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 “sensation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sensation” 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).

sensation vs sensations
90% similar
sensation vs sensational
82% similar
sensation vs sedation
78% similar

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

Key facts for sensation
PropertyValue
Headwordsensation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɛnˈseɪʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,346
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sensation”

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).sensationlands 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 “Sebastian” (#8,345), “shaft” (#8,347), “scrap” (#8,344). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sensation” is #8,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around sensation (IPA /sɛnˈseɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,346 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for sensation, with forms such as "esnsation", "senastion", and "sennsation". 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, "sensations", "sensational", "sedation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French, from Medieval Latin sensatio, from Latin sensus. The correct English form is sensation, spelled S-E-N-S-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A physical feeling or perception from something that comes into contact with the body; something sensed.
  2. 2
    Excitation of sensory organs.
  3. 3
    A widespread reaction of interest or excitement.
  4. 4
    A remarkable person.
  5. 5
    A small serving of gin or sherry.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
  2. Confining ourselves, for the moment, to sensations, we find that there are different degrees of publicity attaching to different sorts of sensations. If you feel a toothache when the other people in the room do not, you are in no way surprised; but if you hear a clap of thunder when they do not, you begin to be alarmed as to your mental condition.

Etymology

From Old French, from Medieval Latin sensatio, from Latin sensus.

Synonyms

feelingsensationperception

Antonyms

lack of sensation

This word in other languages

sensación(Español)sensation(Français)Gefühl(Deutsch)sensação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esnsation
  • senastion
  • sennsation
  • sensaiton
  • sensasion
  • sensatino
  • sensationn
  • sensatoin
  • sensattion
  • senssation
  • senstaion
  • sesnation
  • snesation
  • ssensation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esnsation2senastion2sennsation1sensaiton2sensasion1sensatino2sensationn1sensatoin2
Edit distance from "sensation"

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 "sensation"?
"sensation" is spelled S-E-N-S-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛnˈseɪʃən/.
What does "sensation" mean?
As a noun, "sensation" means: A physical feeling or perception from something that comes into contact with the body; something sensed.
What words are commonly confused with "sensation"?
"sensation" is commonly confused with "sensations", "sensational", "sedation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sensation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sensation" is /sɛnˈseɪʃən/. 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 "sensation"?
From Old French, from Medieval Latin sensatio, from Latin sensus. 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 "sensation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sebastian#8,345reservoir#8,341rejection#8,339spotlight#8,354

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

mortality14 variantsbiography14 variantsconsuming14 variantsdesigning14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list