supplication

/sʌplɪˈkeɪʃən/

//sʌplɪˈkeɪʃən// noun

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

"supplication" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“supplication” is uncommon English (frequency #53,284 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,284
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of supplicating; a humble request.

Corpus desk

Index EN-supplication · supplication · English

supplication · rank #53,284 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,284
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Swayze

Nearest frequency peer: Swayze (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “supplication”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “supplication” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for supplication
PropertyValue
Headwordsupplication
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sʌplɪˈkeɪʃən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#53,284
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “supplication” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).supplicationfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Swayze” (#53,285), “strider” (#53,282), “Sylvania” (#53,286). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “supplication” is #53,284. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

supplication is uncommon English at frequency #53,284 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /sʌplɪˈkeɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for supplication in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English supplicacioun, supplication, from Old French supplication, from Latin supplicatio, supplicationem, from supplicare (“to supplicate”). By surface analysis, supplicate + -ion. The correct English form is supplication, spelled S-U-P-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of supplicating; a humble request.
  2. 2
    An act of supplicating; a humble request.
  3. 3
    A prayer or entreaty to a god.
  4. 4
    In Ancient Rome, a solemn service or day decreed for giving formal thanks to the gods for victory, etc.
  5. 5
    The process by which a doctorate at Oxford university is officially requested after a thesis has been approved.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. If Trump defies the Court, there is little to restrain him from acting as an autocrat, given the supplication of Republicans in Congress.

Etymology

From Middle English supplicacioun, supplication, from Old French supplication, from Latin supplicatio, supplicationem, from supplicare (“to supplicate”). By surface analysis, supplicate + -ion.

This word in other languages

supplication(Français)Flehen(Deutsch)

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 "supplication"?
"supplication" is spelled S-U-P-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /sʌplɪˈkeɪʃən/.
What does "supplication" mean?
As a noun, "supplication" means: An act of supplicating; a humble request.
How do you pronounce "supplication"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "supplication" is /sʌplɪˈkeɪʃən/. 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 "supplication"?
From Middle English supplicacioun, supplication, from Old French supplication, from Latin supplicatio, supplicationem, from supplicare (“to supplicate”). By surface analysis, supplicate + -ion. 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 "supplication", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

teleprompter#53,295whitewashing#53,338assimilating#53,380attractively#53,381

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list