inspiration

\ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\

/\ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“inspiration” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,158 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,158
frequency rank, French
11
letters
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action par laquelle l’air entre dans le poumon ; mouvement opposé à l’expiration.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

inspiration vs instigation
82% similar
inspiration vs inspirations
92% similar

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

Key facts for inspiration
PropertyValue
Headwordinspiration
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\
Letters11
Frequency rank#4,158
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “inspiration” 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). inspiration 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 inspiration is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,158 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for inspiration, with forms such as "innspiration", "inpsiration", and "insipration". 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, "instigation", "inspirations", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, 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 inspiration, spelled I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action par laquelle l’air entre dans le poumon ; mouvement opposé à l’expiration.
  2. 2
    Sorte de souffle divin qui pousse à tel ou tel acte.
  3. 3
    Acte de stimulation de l’intellect, des émotions et de la créativité à partir d’une influence.
  4. 4
    Idée créatrice, élan créateur d'origine mystérieuse.

Synonyms

inspir

This word in other languages

inhalation(English)inspiración(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: innspiration,inpsiration,insipration,inspiartion,inspiraiton,inspiratino,inspirationn,inspiratoin,inspirattion,inspirration,inspirtaion,insppiration,inspriation,insspiration,isnpiration,nispiration

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innspiration1inpsiration2insipration2inspiartion2inspiraiton2inspiratino2inspirationn1inspiratoin2
Edit distance from "inspiration"

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 "inspiration"?
"inspiration" is spelled I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\.
What does "inspiration" mean?
As a noun, "inspiration" means: Action par laquelle l’air entre dans le poumon ; mouvement opposé à l’expiration.
What words are commonly confused with "inspiration"?
"inspiration" is commonly confused with "instigation", "inspirations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inspiration"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inspiration" is \ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "inspiration" come from?
"inspiration" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “inspiration”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “instigation” - see the side-by-side comparison. inspiration vs instigation
  • 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