suffocation

noun

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

"suffocation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“suffocation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,239. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,239
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Asphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suffocation · suffocation · English

suffocation · rank #37,239 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #37,239
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH surpluses

Nearest frequency peer: surpluses (+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 “suffocation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “suffocation” 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).

suffocation vs suffocating
82% similar

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

Key facts for suffocation
PropertyValue
Headwordsuffocation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#37,239
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “suffocation”

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).suffocationlands 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 “surpluses” (#37,240), “Strathclyde” (#37,236), “syndication” (#37,242). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “suffocation” is #37,239. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around suffocation, anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,239 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for suffocation, with forms such as "sfufocation", "ssuffocation", and "suffcoation". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "suffocating", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio. The correct English form is suffocation, spelled S-U-F-F-O-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Asphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death.
  2. 2
    A particular act of death or killing by means of asphyxia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A child left unattended may die of suffocation.
  2. The moon, directly opposite, flung into the room a long and tremulous line of light, which fell on Guido's face, as he reclined on the pillows which supported his head; he needed the support, for a feeling of suffocation was his constant complaint.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio.

Synonyms

asphyxia

This word in other languages

suffocation(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sfufocation
  • ssuffocation
  • suffcoation
  • suffoaction
  • suffocaiton
  • suffocasion
  • suffocatino
  • suffocationn
  • suffocatoin
  • suffocattion
  • suffoccation
  • suffoctaion
  • sufocation
  • sufofcation
  • usffocation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sfufocation2ssuffocation1suffcoation2suffoaction2suffocaiton2suffocasion1suffocatino2suffocationn1
Edit distance from "suffocation"

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 "suffocation"?
"suffocation" is spelled S-U-F-F-O-C-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "suffocation" mean?
As a noun, "suffocation" means: Asphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death.
What words are commonly confused with "suffocation"?
"suffocation" is commonly confused with "suffocating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "suffocation"?
Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio. 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 "suffocation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Strathclyde#37,236syndication#37,242selectivity#37,218walkthrough#37,279

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

tailgating15 variantstolerances15 variantsrediscover15 variantspreemptive15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list