substation

noun

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

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

The verdict

“substation” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,785. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,785
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A site where electricity supplied by long-distance (high-voltage) transmission lines is transformed or regulated for local (low-voltage) distribution.

Corpus desk

Index EN-substation · substation · English

substation · rank #31,785 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #31,785
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH subsidize

Nearest frequency peer: subsidize (-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 “substation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “substation” 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).

substation vs subsection
80% similar

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

Key facts for substation
PropertyValue
Headwordsubstation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#31,785
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “substation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).substationlands 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 “subsidize” (#31,784), “sufferings” (#31,786), “subcontinent” (#31,782). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “substation” is #31,785. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around substation, anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,785 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for substation, with forms such as "sbustation", "ssubstation", and "subbstation". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "subsection", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sub- + station. The correct English form is substation, spelled S-U-B-S-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A site where electricity supplied by long-distance (high-voltage) transmission lines is transformed or regulated for local (low-voltage) distribution.
  2. 2
    A satellite police station serving one neighborhood or part of a larger jurisdiction.
  3. 3
    A branch post office.
  4. 4
    Any subordinate station.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The utility now wants the network to be undergrounded in the urban areas, which would mean substations with 33 kV distribution swtichgear.
  2. Meanwhile, an upgraded power supply at Sundon substation, between Leagrave and Harlington, will be commissioned concurrent with the overhead line connection and will be sufficient to power the initial electrified Corby services.

Etymology

From sub- + station.

This word in other languages

poste(Français)Umspannwerk(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sbustation
  • ssubstation
  • subbstation
  • subsattion
  • subsstation
  • substaiton
  • substasion
  • substatino
  • substationn
  • substatoin
  • substattion
  • substtaion
  • substtation
  • subtsation
  • susbtation
  • usbstation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of substation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

sbustation2ssubstation1subbstation1subsattion2subsstation1substaiton2substasion1substatino2
Edit distance from "substation"

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 "substation"?
"substation" is spelled S-U-B-S-T-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "substation" mean?
As a noun, "substation" means: A site where electricity supplied by long-distance (high-voltage) transmission lines is transformed or regulated for local (low-voltage) distribution.
What words are commonly confused with "substation"?
"substation" is commonly confused with "subsection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "substation"?
From sub- + station. 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 "substation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sufferings#31,786tantamount#31,789Stonehenge#31,779unoccupied#31,813

Similar misspelling depth

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

watercolour16 variantspromiscuous16 variantspomegranate16 variantsBloomsbury16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list