separation

/ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"separation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“separation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,838. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,838
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of disuniting two or more things, or the condition of being separated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-separation · separation · English

separation · rank #5,838 · 15 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,838
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sentences

Nearest frequency peer: sentences (-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 “separation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “separation” 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).

separation vs separator
80% similar
separation vs separatist
80% similar
separation vs separatism
80% similar

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

Key facts for separation
PropertyValue
Headwordseparation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,838
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “separation”

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).separationlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sentences” (#5,837), “sexually” (#5,839), “seeks” (#5,836). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “separation” is #5,838. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around separation (IPA /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,838 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for separation, with forms such as "esparation", "seapration", and "sepaartion". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "separator", "separatist", "separatism", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested in the 15th Century C.E.; from Middle English separacioun, from Old French separacion, from Latin separatio, separationem. Morphologically separate + -ion. The correct English form is separation, spelled S-E-P-A-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of disuniting two or more things, or the condition of being separated.
  2. 2
    The act or condition of two or more people being separated from one another.
  3. 3
    The act or condition of a married couple living in separate homes while remaining legally married.
  4. 4
    The act or condition of a married couple living in separate homes while remaining legally married.
  5. 5
    The place at which a division occurs.
  6. 6
    An interval, gap or space that separates things or people.
  7. 7
    An object that separates two spaces.
  8. 8
    Departure from active duty, while not necessarily leaving the service entirely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We were a band of brothers, and never dearer to each other than now. The thought which gave us the most pain, was the probable separation which would now take place, in case we were sold off to the far south, as we were likely to be.
  2. […] my longing for her was undiminished despite our months of near-complete separation.

Etymology

Attested in the 15th Century C.E.; from Middle English separacioun, from Old French separacion, from Latin separatio, separationem. Morphologically separate + -ion.

Synonyms

detachmentdepartitiondisassociationdisconnectiondiscontinuitydisengagementdisjunctiondisseverancedissociationdisuniondisunitydivisioninconnectionpartingruptureseparationseverancesplitsunderance

Antonyms

junction

This word in other languages

separación(Español)séparation(Français)Trennung(Deutsch)separação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esparation
  • seapration
  • sepaartion
  • separaiton
  • separasion
  • separatino
  • separationn
  • separatoin
  • separattion
  • separration
  • separtaion
  • sepparation
  • sepraation
  • spearation
  • sseparation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esparation2seapration2sepaartion2separaiton2separasion1separatino2separationn1separatoin2
Edit distance from "separation"

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 "separation"?
"separation" is spelled S-E-P-A-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "separation" mean?
As a noun, "separation" means: The act of disuniting two or more things, or the condition of being separated.
What words are commonly confused with "separation"?
"separation" is commonly confused with "separator", "separatist", "separatism". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "separation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "separation" is /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/. 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 "separation"?
Attested in the 15th Century C.E.; from Middle English separacioun, from Old French separacion, from Latin separatio, separationem. Morphologically separate + -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 "separation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reportedly#5,832protective#5,828profession#5,826Pittsburgh#5,823

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

phenomenon15 variantshelicopter15 variantsjournalism15 variantsprovisions15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list