translation

/tɹænzˈleɪʃən/

//tɹænzˈleɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“translation” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,731 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,731
frequency rank, English
11
letters
18
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of translating, in its various senses:

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

translation vs translator
82% similar
translation vs translations
92% similar
translation vs translational
85% similar

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

Key facts for translation
PropertyValue
Headwordtranslation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɹænzˈleɪʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#3,731
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “translation” 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). translation 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 translation is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,731 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for translation, with forms such as "rtanslation", "tarnslation", and "tranlsation". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "translator", "translations", "translational", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English translacioun (“transfer, translation”), from Anglo-Norman translacioun, from Latin trānslātiō, from trānslāt-, the supine stem of trānsferō (“to transfer, transport, transform, translate”). Equivalent to translate + -ion. Displaced nativ… The correct English form is translation, spelled T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  2. 2
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  3. 3
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  4. 4
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  5. 5
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  6. 6
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  7. 7
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  8. 8
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  9. 9
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  10. 10
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  11. 11
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  12. 12
    The act of translating, in its various senses:
  13. 13
    The product or end result of an act of translating, in its various senses.

Etymology

From Middle English translacioun (“transfer, translation”), from Anglo-Norman translacioun, from Latin trānslātiō, from trānslāt-, the supine stem of trānsferō (“to transfer, transport, transform, translate”). Equivalent to translate + -ion. Displaced native Old English wending.

This word in other languages

traducción(Español)traduction(Français)Übersetzung(Deutsch)tradução(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtanslation,tarnslation,tranlsation,trannslation,transaltion,translaiton,translasion,translatino,translationn,translatoin,translattion,transllation,transltaion,transslation,trasnlation,trnaslation,trranslation,ttranslation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of translation - 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.

rtanslation2tarnslation2tranlsation2trannslation1transaltion2translaiton2translasion1translatino2
Edit distance from "translation"

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 "translation"?
"translation" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/.
What does "translation" mean?
As a noun, "translation" means: The act of translating, in its various senses:
What words are commonly confused with "translation"?
"translation" is commonly confused with "translator", "translations", "translational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "translation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "translation" is /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/. 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 "translation"?
From Middle English translacioun (“transfer, translation”), from Anglo-Norman translacioun, from Latin trānslātiō, from trānslāt-, the supine stem of trānsferō (“to transfer, transport, transform, translate”). Equivalent to translate + -ion. Displ... 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 “translation”

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

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