constellation

\kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\

/\kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“constellation” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,486 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,486
frequency rank, French
13
letters
18
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Groupe d’un certain nombre d’étoiles qui dessine sur la voûte céleste une figure que l’imagination des Anciens croyait reconnaitre.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

constellation vs consternation
85% similar
constellation vs constellations
93% similar

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

Key facts for constellation
PropertyValue
Headwordconstellation
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\
Letters13
Frequency rank#19,486
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “constellation” sits in French 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). constellation lands here:

#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 French entry for constellation is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,486 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for constellation, with forms such as "cconstellation", "cnostellation", and "connstellation". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "consternation", "constellations", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is constellation, spelled C-O-N-S-T-E-L-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Groupe d’un certain nombre d’étoiles qui dessine sur la voûte céleste une figure que l’imagination des Anciens croyait reconnaitre.
  2. 2
    Groupe d’étoiles fixes du zodiaque auquel on a donné un nom en fonction de la figure qu’il semble représenter.
  3. 3
    Ensemble d’un même type d’engins spatiaux, très souvent des satellites, visant à couvrir une zone géographique.
  4. 4
    Groupes d'éléments plus ou moins épars et liés entre eux d'une certaine manière.
  5. 5
    Représentation d'un nombre par des points ou de petites figures formant un motif, comme les points sur les faces d'un dé ou les enseignes sur une carte à jouer.

Synonyms

astérisme

This word in other languages

constellation(English)constelación(Español)Sternbild(Deutsch)constelação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cconstellation,cnostellation,connstellation,consetllation,consstellation,constelaltion,constelation,constellaiton,constellatino,constellationn,constellatoin,constellattion,constelltaion,constlelation,consttellation,contsellation,cosntellation,ocnstellation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of constellation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cconstellation1cnostellation2connstellation1consetllation2consstellation1constelaltion2constelation1constellaiton2
Edit distance from "constellation"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "constellation"?
"constellation" is spelled C-O-N-S-T-E-L-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\.
What does "constellation" mean?
As a noun, "constellation" means: Groupe d’un certain nombre d’étoiles qui dessine sur la voûte céleste une figure que l’imagination des Anciens croyait reconnaitre.
What words are commonly confused with "constellation"?
"constellation" is commonly confused with "consternation", "constellations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "constellation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "constellation" is \kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "constellation" come from?
"constellation" 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.

Using “constellation”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-N-S-T-E-L-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “consternation” - see the side-by-side comparison. constellation vs consternation
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list