variation

/ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/

//ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩// noun

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

"variation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“variation” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,312. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,312
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-variation · variation · English

variation · rank #6,312 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,312
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH underneath

Nearest frequency peer: underneath (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “variation”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “variation” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

variation vs variations
90% similar
variation vs vacation
78% similar
variation vs valuation
78% similar

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

Key facts for variation
PropertyValue
Headwordvariation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#6,312
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “variation” sits in English frequency

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).variationlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “underneath” (#6,311), “viewing” (#6,313), “unbelievable” (#6,310). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around variation (IPA /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,312 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for variation, with forms such as "avriation", "vairation", and "varaition". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "variations", "vacation", "valuation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō, from vary + -ation. The correct English form is variation, spelled V-A-R-I-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.
  2. 2
    A related but distinct thing.
  3. 3
    The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.
  4. 4
    A line of play that differs from the original.
  5. 5
    A technique where material is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, counterpoint or orchestration; but with some invariant characteristic, e.g. a ground bass.
  6. 6
    The modification of a hereditary trait.
  7. 7
    Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.
  8. 8
    The situation where two or more linguistic forms appear in the same environment without a change in meaning, the choice of form being determined by factors of dialect, sociolect, register or simply the speaker's preference.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.
  2. When the process didn't work, we tried a variation.

Etymology

From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō, from vary + -ation.

This word in other languages

variación(Español)variation(Français)Umbildung(Deutsch)variação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • avriation
  • vairation
  • varaition
  • variaiton
  • variasion
  • variatino
  • variationn
  • variatoin
  • variattion
  • varitaion
  • varriation
  • vraiation
  • vvariation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of variation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

avriation2vairation2varaition2variaiton2variasion1variatino2variationn1variatoin2
Edit distance from "variation"

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 "variation"?
"variation" is spelled V-A-R-I-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/.
What does "variation" mean?
As a noun, "variation" means: The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.
What words are commonly confused with "variation"?
"variation" is commonly confused with "variations", "vacation", "valuation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "variation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "variation" is /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/. 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 "variation"?
From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō, from vary + -ation. 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 "variation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

warehouse#6,315affecting#6,322answering#6,326commented#6,343

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

charming13 variantspenalties13 variantsorganised13 variantsdisplays13 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "variation". Here's where to go from here.

  • "variation" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "variations". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,312 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "V" letter cohort. V–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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