substitution
sub·sti·tu·tion/ˌsʌb.stɪˈtu.ʃən/noun
substitution is spelled S-U-B-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables (sub·sti·tu·tion). It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, substitution means “The act of substituting or the state of being substituted” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of substitution is substitutions.
How many letters and syllables are in substitution?
| Letters | 12: S-U-B-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: sub·sti·tu·tion |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,896th 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 substitution?
Substitution appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th 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 substitution?
- UK /ˌsʌb.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/
- UK /ˌsʌb.stɪˈtjuː.ʃən/
- US /ˌsʌb.stɪˈtu.ʃən/
Substitution has 4 syllables, split sub·sti·tu·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-substitution.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with substitution?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as substitution from its last stressed vowel (/uʃən/):
- distribution
- institution
- contribution
- pollution
- prosecution
- persecution
- dissolution
- restitution
- dilution
- Confucian
- destitution
- Rosicrucian
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 substitution
- substitutions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does substitution mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of substituting or the state of being substituted.
In this football tournament, three substitutions can be made during the match.
- 2
A substitute or replacement.
Gary is off this weekend, so Jeff will be his substitution.
- 3
The replacement of an atom, or group of atoms, in a compound, with another.
- 4
The expansion of the lexicon of a language by native means in correspondence to a foreign term.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Substitution in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | remplacement , réaction de substitution |
| German | Ersatz, Ersetzen , Substitution, Substituierung , Ersetzung, lexikalische Ersetzung |
| Portuguese | substituição |
| Spanish | sustitución, cambio |
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 substitution come from?
From Middle French substitution, from Late Latin substitutio.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).