station

/ˈsteɪʃən/

//ˈsteɪʃən// noun

"station" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“station” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,061 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,061
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A stopping place.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

station vs stator
71% similar
station vs suction
71% similar
station vs Stetson
57% similar

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

Key facts for station
PropertyValue
Headwordstation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsteɪʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,061
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “station” 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). station 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 station is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsteɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,061 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 24 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for station, with forms such as "sattion", "sstation", and "staiton". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "stator", "suction", "Stetson", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman estation, from Latin statiōnem, accusative of statiō (“standing, post, job, position”), whence also Italian stazione. Doublet of stagione. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi), στάσις (stásis),… The correct English form is station, spelled S-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stopping place.
  2. 2
    A stopping place.
  3. 3
    A stopping place.
  4. 4
    A stopping place.
  5. 5
    A stopping place.
  6. 6
    A place where workers are stationed.
  7. 7
    A place where workers are stationed.
  8. 8
    A place where workers are stationed.
  9. 9
    A place where workers are stationed.
  10. 10
    A place where workers are stationed.
  11. 11
    A place where workers are stationed.
  12. 12
    A place where workers are stationed.
  13. 13
    Any of the Stations of the Cross.
  14. 14
    The Roman Catholic fast of the fourth and sixth days of the week, Wednesday and Friday, in memory of the council which condemned Christ, and of his passion.
  15. 15
    A church in which the procession of the clergy halts on stated days to say stated prayers.
  16. 16
    Standing; rank; position.
  17. 17
    A harbour or cove with a foreshore suitable for a facility to support nearby fishing.
  18. 18
    Any of a sequence of equally spaced points along a path.
  19. 19
    The particular place, or kind of situation, in which a species naturally occurs; a habitat.
  20. 20
    An enlargement in a shaft or galley, used as a landing, or passing place, or for the accommodation of a pump, tank, etc.
  21. 21
    Post assigned; office; the part or department of public duty which a person is appointed to perform; sphere of duty or occupation; employment.
  22. 22
    The position of the foetal head in relation to the distance from the ischial spines, measured in centimetres.
  23. 23
    The fact of standing still; motionlessness, stasis.
  24. 24
    The apparent standing still of a superior planet just before it begins or ends its retrograde motion.

Etymology

From Middle English stacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman estation, from Latin statiōnem, accusative of statiō (“standing, post, job, position”), whence also Italian stazione. Doublet of stagione. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi), στάσις (stásis), Old English standan (whence English stand).

Synonyms

channelstastnbasemilitary basefarmranch

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sattion,sstation,staiton,stasion,statino,stationn,statoin,stattion,sttaion,sttation,tsation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sattion2sstation1staiton2stasion1statino2stationn1statoin2stattion1
Edit distance from "station"

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 "station"?
"station" is spelled S-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsteɪʃən/.
What does "station" mean?
As a noun, "station" means: A stopping place.
What words are commonly confused with "station"?
"station" is commonly confused with "stator", "suction", "Stetson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "station"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "station" is /ˈsteɪʃən/. 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 "station"?
From Middle English stacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman estation, from Latin statiōnem, accusative of statiō (“standing, post, job, position”), whence also Italian stazione. Doublet of stagione. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi), στάσις... 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 “station”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsteɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “stator” - see the side-by-side comparison. station vs stator
  • 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