relation

\ʁə.la.sjɔ̃\

/\ʁə.la.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“relation” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,041 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,041
frequency rank, French
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lien, rapport d’une chose à une autre.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

relation vs religion
75% similar
relation vs relative
75% similar
relation vs rotation
75% similar

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

Key facts for relation
PropertyValue
Headwordrelation
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁə.la.sjɔ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,041
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “relation” 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). relation 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 relation is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁə.la.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,041 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for relation, with forms such as "erlation", "realtion", and "relaiton". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "religion", "relative", "rotation", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is relation, spelled R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lien, rapport d’une chose à une autre.
  2. 2
    Interaction, liaison entre personnes ou entités.
  3. 3
    Liaison affective ou amoureuse.
  4. 4
    Personnes avec qui on est en rapport, sans être étroitement lié.
  5. 5
    Personne, entité avec laquelle on a des liens utiles ou de confiance.
  6. 6
    Proposition qui lie un certain nombre d’éléments dans un ensemble.
  7. 7
    Sur un ensemble E, partie du produit cartésien de E par E. Expressions utilisées : relation symétrique, relation réflexive, relation transitive, relation d'ordre, relation d'équivalence.
  8. 8
    Action de relater ; récit ou narration qu’on fait de ce que l’on a vu ou entendu.
  9. 9
    Rapport qui est entre deux personnes, entre deux choses que l’on considère ensemble, et respectivement l’une à l’autre.
  10. 10
    Lien entre des champs selon une clé : table de base de données relationnelle.

Synonyms

lienrapportconnexionconnexitédépendanceinteractionliaisonrapprochementcontactaccointanceamitiéamouramiconnaissancecontactcopaincorrespondancerelation binairenarrationrécit

Antonyms

indépendance

This word in other languages

relation(English)relación(Español)Beziehung(Deutsch)relação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erlation,realtion,relaiton,relatino,relationn,relatoin,relattion,rellation,reltaion,rleation,rrelation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of relation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

erlation2realtion2relaiton2relatino2relationn1relatoin2relattion1rellation1
Edit distance from "relation"

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 "relation"?
"relation" is spelled R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁə.la.sjɔ̃\.
What does "relation" mean?
As a noun, "relation" means: Lien, rapport d’une chose à une autre.
What words are commonly confused with "relation"?
"relation" is commonly confused with "religion", "relative", "rotation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "relation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "relation" is \ʁə.la.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "relation" come from?
"relation" 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 “relation”

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

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