transubstantiation

Name: transubstantiation, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/

//tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“transubstantiation” is an uncommon English word, ranked #81,917 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#81,917
frequency rank, English: 18
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The doctrine holding that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are essentially transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.

Key facts for transubstantiation
Property	Value
Headword	transubstantiation
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/
Letters	18
Frequency rank	#81,917
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “transubstantiation” 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). transubstantiation lands here:

#81,917

#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 transubstantiation is 18 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #81,917 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for transubstantiation in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin trānsubstantiātiō. The correct English form is transubstantiation, spelled T-R-A-N-S-U-B-S-T-A-N-T-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

1
The doctrine holding that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are essentially transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.
2
Conversion of one substance into another.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin trānsubstantiātiō.

This word in other languages

transubstanciación(Español)transsubstantiation(Français)Transsubstantiation(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 "transubstantiation"?

"transubstantiation" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-U-B-S-T-A-N-T-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/.

What does "transubstantiation" mean?

As a noun, "transubstantiation" means: The doctrine holding that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are essentially transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.

How do you pronounce "transubstantiation"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "transubstantiation" is /tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/. 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 "transubstantiation"?

Borrowed from Medieval Latin trānsubstantiātiō. 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 “transubstantiation”

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

The one correct English spelling is T-R-A-N-S-U-B-S-T-A-N-T-I-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
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.