speculation
spec·u·la·tion/ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/noun
speculation is spelled S-P-E-C-U-L-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables (spec·u·la·tion). It appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, speculation means “The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of speculation is speculations.
How many letters and syllables are in speculation?
| Letters | 11: S-P-E-C-U-L-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: spec·u·la·tion |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is speculation?
Speculation appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce speculation?
- US /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
- Australia /ˌspek.jəˈlæɪ.ʃən/
Speculation has 4 syllables, split spec·u·la·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-speculation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with speculation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as speculation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of speculation
- speculations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does speculation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.
- 2
The act or process of reasoning a priori from premises given or assumed.
- 3
A conclusion to which the mind comes by speculating; mere theory; notion; conjecture.
- 4
An investment involving higher-than-normal risk in order to obtain a higher-than-normal return.
- 5
The act or practice of buying land, goods, shares, etc., in expectation of selling at a higher price, or of selling with the expectation of repurchasing at a lower price; a trading on anticipated fluctuations in price, as distinguished from trading in which the profit expected is the difference between the retail and wholesale prices, or the difference of price in different markets.
- 6
A card game in which the players buy from one another trumps or whole hands, upon a chance of getting the highest trump dealt, which entitles the holder to the pool of stakes.
- 7
The process of anticipating which branch of code will be chosen and executing it in advance.
- 8
obsoleteThe faculty of sight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate speculation?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of speculation: spec.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Speculation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | spéculation |
| Portuguese | especulação |
| Spanish | especulación |
| German | Spekulation, Betrachtung |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does speculation come from?
From Middle English speculacioun, speculation, from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin speculātiō, speculātiōnem, from Latin speculor. Morphologically speculate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).