imagination

\i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\

/\i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“imagination” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,766 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,766
frequency rank, French
11
letters
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Faculté d’imaginer, de se représenter quelque chose dans l’esprit.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

imagination vs imaginatif
82% similar

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

Key facts for imagination
PropertyValue
Headwordimagination
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\
Letters11
Frequency rank#4,766
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imagination” 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). imagination 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 imagination is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,766 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for imagination, with forms such as "iamgination", "imaggination", and "imagiantion". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "imaginatif", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is imagination, spelled I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Faculté d’imaginer, de se représenter quelque chose dans l’esprit.
  2. 2
    Faculté d’inventer, de concevoir, jointe au talent de rendre vivement ses conceptions.
  3. 3
    Produit de ces inventions talentueuses.
  4. 4
    Pensée, conception.
  5. 5
    Croyance, opinion qu’on a de quelque chose sans beaucoup de fondement.
  6. 6
    Fantaisie bizarre, idée chimérique et extravagante.

This word in other languages

imagination(English)imaginación(Español)Vorstellung(Deutsch)imaginação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iamgination,imaggination,imagiantion,imaginaiton,imaginatino,imaginationn,imaginatoin,imaginattion,imaginnation,imagintaion,imagniation,imaignation,imgaination,immagination,miagination

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imagination - 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.

iamgination2imaggination1imagiantion2imaginaiton2imaginatino2imaginationn1imaginatoin2imaginattion1
Edit distance from "imagination"

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 "imagination"?
"imagination" is spelled I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\.
What does "imagination" mean?
As a noun, "imagination" means: Faculté d’imaginer, de se représenter quelque chose dans l’esprit.
What words are commonly confused with "imagination"?
"imagination" is commonly confused with "imaginatif". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imagination"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imagination" is \i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "imagination" come from?
"imagination" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “imagination”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \i.ma.ʒi.na.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “imaginatif” - see the side-by-side comparison. imagination vs imaginatif
  • 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