variation
/ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/
"variation" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“variation” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,312 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #6,312
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | variation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #6,312 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “variation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for variation is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,312 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.
- 2A related but distinct thing.
- 3The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.
- 4A line of play that differs from the original.
- 5A 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.
- 6The modification of a hereditary trait.
- 7Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.
- 8The 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.
Etymology
From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō, from vary + -ation.
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “variation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is V-A-R-I-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “variations” - see the side-by-side comparison. variation vs variations
- 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.