starvation

/stɑɹˈveɪʃən/

//stɑɹˈveɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“starvation” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,639. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,639
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A condition of severe suffering due to a lack of nutrition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-starvation · starvation · English

starvation · rank #14,639 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,639
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spouses

Nearest frequency peer: spouses (-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 “starvation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “starvation” 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).

starvation vs salvation
80% similar
starvation vs stagnation
80% similar

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

Key facts for starvation
PropertyValue
Headwordstarvation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɑɹˈveɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#14,639
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “starvation”

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).starvationlands 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 “spouses” (#14,638), “starve” (#14,640), “stool” (#14,641). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “starvation” is #14,639. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around starvation (IPA /stɑɹˈveɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,639 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for starvation, with forms such as "satrvation", "sstarvation", and "staravtion". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "salvation", "stagnation", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From starve + -ation. The correct English form is starvation, spelled S-T-A-R-V-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A condition of severe suffering due to a lack of nutrition.
  2. 2
    Severe shortage of resources.
  3. 3
    A state where a process is perpetually denied necessary resources to process its work.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "We haven't one chance for life in a hundred thousand if we don't find food and water upon Caprona. This water coming out of the cliff is not salt; but neither is it fit to drink, though each of us has drunk. It is fair to assume that inland the river is fed by pure streams, that there are fruits and herbs and game. Shall we lie out here and die of thirst…
  2. Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu’s orders to resume delivery of food aid, an abrupt about-face under intense U.S. and international pressure, came as warnings of mass starvation intensify, including from within Israel’s own security establishment.

Etymology

From starve + -ation.

This word in other languages

inanición(Español)inanition(Français)Verhungern(Deutsch)inanição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satrvation
  • sstarvation
  • staravtion
  • starrvation
  • starvaiton
  • starvasion
  • starvatino
  • starvationn
  • starvatoin
  • starvattion
  • starvtaion
  • starvvation
  • stavration
  • stravation
  • sttarvation
  • tsarvation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

satrvation2sstarvation1staravtion2starrvation1starvaiton2starvasion1starvatino2starvationn1
Edit distance from "starvation"

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 "starvation"?
"starvation" is spelled S-T-A-R-V-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /stɑɹˈveɪʃən/.
What does "starvation" mean?
As a noun, "starvation" means: A condition of severe suffering due to a lack of nutrition.
What words are commonly confused with "starvation"?
"starvation" is commonly confused with "salvation", "stagnation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "starvation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "starvation" is /stɑɹˈveɪʃən/. 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 "starvation"?
From starve + -ation. 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 "starvation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

subscriber#14,644resembling#14,623wonderland#14,673abandoning#14,683

Similar misspelling depth

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

sensational16 variantsaccessibility16 variantsKensington16 variantsHuntington16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list