perturbation

Name: perturbation, French Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

\pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\

/\pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\/ noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“perturbation” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #17,227 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,227
frequency rank, French: 12
letters: 18
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Trouble dans le fonctionnement d'un mécanisme ou de tout autre système technique, voire naturel.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

perturbation vs perturbations

92% similar

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

Key facts for perturbation
Property	Value
Headword	perturbation
Language	French
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	\pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\
Letters	12
Frequency rank	#17,227
Misspellings tracked	18
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “perturbation” 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). perturbation lands here:

#17,227

#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 perturbation is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #17,227 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 perturbation, with forms such as "eprturbation", "perrturbation", and "pertrubation". 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, "perturbations", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is perturbation, spelled P-E-R-T-U-R-B-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

1
Trouble dans le fonctionnement d'un mécanisme ou de tout autre système technique, voire naturel.
2
Modifications qui se produisent dans le mouvement des corps célestes, par suite de leur action mutuelle.
3
Troubles qui modifient les conditions de notre atmosphère.
4
Trouble causé dans l’organisme par quelque maladie ; et dans la marche d’une maladie par quelque remède énergique.
5
Trouble important dans un état, dans une société, dans une affaire, dans un esprit, etc.

This word in other languages

perturbation(English)perturbación(Español)Verwirrung(Deutsch)perturbação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eprturbation,perrturbation,pertrubation,pertturbation,pertubration,perturabtion,perturbaiton,perturbatino,perturbationn,perturbatoin,perturbattion,perturbbation,perturbtaion,perturrbation,perutrbation,petrurbation,pperturbation,preturbation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "perturbation"

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 "perturbation"?

"perturbation" is spelled P-E-R-T-U-R-B-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\.

What does "perturbation" mean?

As a noun, "perturbation" means: Trouble dans le fonctionnement d'un mécanisme ou de tout autre système technique, voire naturel.

What words are commonly confused with "perturbation"?

"perturbation" is commonly confused with "perturbations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "perturbation"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perturbation" is \pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "perturbation" come from?

"perturbation" 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 “perturbation”

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

The one correct French spelling is P-E-R-T-U-R-B-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as \pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “perturbations” - see the side-by-side comparison. perturbation vs perturbations
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.