sensational

/sɛnˈseɪʃənəl/

//sɛnˈseɪʃənəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sensational” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,631. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,631
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to sensation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sensational · sensational · English

sensational · rank #14,631 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,631
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sexism

Nearest frequency peer: sexism (+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 “sensational”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sensational” 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).

sensational vs sensations
82% similar
sensational vs sensation
82% similar

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

Key facts for sensational
PropertyValue
Headwordsensational
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sɛnˈseɪʃənəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#14,631
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sensational”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sensationallands 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 “sexism” (#14,632), “sails” (#14,629), “rye” (#14,628). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sensational” is #14,631. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around sensational (IPA /sɛnˈseɪʃənəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,631 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for sensational, with forms such as "esnsational", "senastional", and "sennsational". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "sensations", "sensation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sensation + -al. The correct English form is sensational, spelled S-E-N-S-A-T-I-O-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to sensation.
  2. 2
    Piquing or arousing the senses.
  3. 3
    Provoking a reaction of interest or excitement.
  4. 4
    Exceptionally great.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. sensational nerves
  2. The standard ranges from runs that are almost sensational in the speed and brilliance of the work to the ultra-mediocre.

Etymology

From sensation + -al.

This word in other languages

sensacional(Español)sensationnel(Français)aufsehenerregend(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esnsational
  • senastional
  • sennsational
  • sensaitonal
  • sensatinoal
  • sensatioanl
  • sensationall
  • sensationla
  • sensationnal
  • sensatoinal
  • sensattional
  • senssational
  • senstaional
  • sesnational
  • snesational
  • ssensational

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sensational - 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.

esnsational2senastional2sennsational1sensaitonal2sensatinoal2sensatioanl2sensationall1sensationla2
Edit distance from "sensational"

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 "sensational"?
"sensational" is spelled S-E-N-S-A-T-I-O-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛnˈseɪʃənəl/.
What does "sensational" mean?
As an adjective, "sensational" means: Of or pertaining to sensation.
What words are commonly confused with "sensational"?
"sensational" is commonly confused with "sensations", "sensation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sensational"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sensational" is /sɛnˈseɪʃənəl/. 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 "sensational"?
From sensation + -al. 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 "sensational", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

collaborate#14,722compensated#14,724disciplined#14,741dysfunction#14,518

Similar misspelling depth

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

starvation16 variantsresembling16 variantssubscriber16 variantswonderland16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list