vexation

/vɛkˈseɪʃn̩/

//vɛkˈseɪʃn̩// noun

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

"vexation" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vexation” is uncommon English (frequency #97,682 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,682
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vexation · vexation · English

vexation · rank #97,682 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,682
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH verbosity

Nearest frequency peer: verbosity (-3 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 “vexation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for vexation
PropertyValue
Headwordvexation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/vɛkˈseɪʃn̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#97,682
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vexation” 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).vexationfalls 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: “verbosity” (#97,679), “violist” (#97,685), “visualizer” (#97,687). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vexation” is #97,682. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vexation is uncommon English at frequency #97,682 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /vɛkˈseɪʃn̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for vexation, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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: From Late Middle English vexacioun, vexation (“physical suffering; act of inflicting trouble (specifically through unjustified legal action); anxiety, mental distress; mental disturbance”), from Anglo-Norman vexacion, vexation, Middle French vexacion, vexat… The correct English form is vexation, spelled V-E-X-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.
  2. 2
    The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.
  3. 3
    The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.
  4. 4
    The state of being vexed, annoyed, or irritated; annoyance, irritation; also, disappointment, discontentment, unhappiness; (countable) an instance of this.
  5. 5
    The state of being vexed, annoyed, or irritated; annoyance, irritation; also, disappointment, discontentment, unhappiness; (countable) an instance of this.
  6. 6
    The state of being vexed, annoyed, or irritated; annoyance, irritation; also, disappointment, discontentment, unhappiness; (countable) an instance of this.
  7. 7
    A source of mental distress or trouble; an affliction, a woe; also, a source of annoyance or irritation; an annoyance, an irritant.
  8. 8
    The action of using force or violence on someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] I mourne in my prayer, and make a noiſe, / For the voyce of the enemie, & for the vexation of the vvicked, becauſe they haue broght iniquitie vpon me, & furiouſly hate me.
  2. I ſtill had hopes, my long vexations paſt, / Here to return—and die at home at laſt.

Etymology

From Late Middle English vexacioun, vexation (“physical suffering; act of inflicting trouble (specifically through unjustified legal action); anxiety, mental distress; mental disturbance”), from Anglo-Norman vexacion, vexation, Middle French vexacion, vexation (“distress, suffering; harassment (specifically through unjustified legal action)”), and Old French vexacion, vexation (“distress, suffering; harassment”) (modern French vexation), and from their etymon Latin vexātiō (“shaking or similar violent movement; (causing of) agitation, distress, suffering; harassment, persecution; trouble”), from vexātus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs). Vexātus is the perfect passive participle of vexō (“to shake or jolt violently; to annoy, harass; to persecute; to trouble violently”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. By surface analysis, vex + -ation (suffix denoting an action or process or its result, or a quality or state). Doublet of quake.

This word in other languages

vejación(Español)tracas(Français)Ärger(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 "vexation"?
"vexation" is spelled V-E-X-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /vɛkˈseɪʃn̩/.
What does "vexation" mean?
As a noun, "vexation" means: The action of vexing, annoying, or irritating someone or something; (countable) an instance of this.
How do you pronounce "vexation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vexation" is /vɛkˈseɪʃn̩/. 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 "vexation"?
From Late Middle English vexacioun, vexation (“physical suffering; act of inflicting trouble (specifically through unjustified legal action); anxiety, mental distress; mental disturbance”), from Anglo-Norman vexacion, vexation, Middle French vexac... 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 "vexation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Wallasey#97,697underfed#97,664unburden#97,663Whitmire#97,716

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list