-ation

\a.sjɔ̃\

/\a.sjɔ̃\/ suffix

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

The verdict

“-ation” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a suffix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Suffixe qui marque l'action de…

Corpus desk

Index FR-ation · -ation · French

-ation · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "-" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for -ation
PropertyValue
Headword-ation
LanguageFrench
Part of speechSuffix
IPA\a.sjɔ̃\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “-ation” sits in French frequency

-ation falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

-ation is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed \a.sjɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Suffixe qui marque l'action de…".

No misspelling variants are generated for -ation in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is -ation, spelled --A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Suffixe qui marque l'action de…

This word in other languages

-ation(English)-ación(Español)-ation(Deutsch)-ação(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "-ation"?
"-ation" is spelled --A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \a.sjɔ̃\.
What does "-ation" mean?
As a suffix, "-ation" means: Suffixe qui marque l'action de…
How do you pronounce "-ation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-ation" is \a.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "-ation" come from?
"-ation" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.
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