situation

/ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/

//ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“situation” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #857 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#857
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

situation vs station
78% similar
situation vs situations
90% similar
situation vs situational
82% similar

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

Key facts for situation
PropertyValue
Headwordsituation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#857
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “situation” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). situation lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for situation is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #857 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for situation, with forms such as "istuation", "sitaution", and "sittuation". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "station", "situations", "situational", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English situacioun, situacion, from Middle French situation, from Medieval Latin situatio (“position, situation”), from situare (“to locate, place”), from Latin situs (“a site”). By surface analysis, situate + -ion. The correct English form is situation, spelled S-I-T-U-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs.
  2. 2
    The way in which something is positioned vis-à-vis its surroundings.
  3. 3
    The place in which something is situated; a location.
  4. 4
    Position or status with regard to conditions and circumstances.
  5. 5
    A position of employment; a post.
  6. 6
    A difficult or unpleasant set of circumstances; a problem.
  7. 7
    An individual movie theater.
  8. 8
    An outfit, garment, or look.

Etymology

From Middle English situacioun, situacion, from Middle French situation, from Medieval Latin situatio (“position, situation”), from situare (“to locate, place”), from Latin situs (“a site”). By surface analysis, situate + -ion.

Synonyms

conditionset upstate

This word in other languages

situación(Español)situation(Français)Situation(Deutsch)situação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: istuation,sitaution,sittuation,situaiton,situasion,situatino,situationn,situatoin,situattion,situtaion,siutation,ssituation,stiuation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

istuation2sitaution2sittuation1situaiton2situasion1situatino2situationn1situatoin2
Edit distance from "situation"

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 "situation"?
"situation" is spelled S-I-T-U-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/.
What does "situation" mean?
As a noun, "situation" means: The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs.
What words are commonly confused with "situation"?
"situation" is commonly confused with "station", "situations", "situational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "situation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "situation" is /ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.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 "situation"?
From Middle English situacioun, situacion, from Middle French situation, from Medieval Latin situatio (“position, situation”), from situare (“to locate, place”), from Latin situs (“a site”). By surface analysis, situate + -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.

Using “situation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-I-T-U-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “station” - see the side-by-side comparison. situation vs station
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list