Defination or definition?
Did you mean definition? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
defination
Correct
definition
Correct spelling: definition. Misspelling: defination.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
Built on finite, like definite: de-FINI-tion, never "a".
Why people write “defination”
The misspelling “defination” is only one letter off: it writes A where definition has I, an easy slip because in an unstressed syllable both vowels can sound like the same soft "uh".
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make definition automatic.
Other misspellings of “definition”
People also write “definiton”. Here is where each one goes wrong.
“definiton”
Correct spelling: definition. Misspelling: definiton.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
The misspelling “definiton” is only one letter off: it leaves out the I.
What does “definition” mean?
definition noun
- a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
- clarity of outline
“exercise had given his muscles superior definition”
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Definition” in a sentence
- Look up the definition in a dictionary.
- Exercise had given his muscles superior definition.
Is “definition” a playable word?
14 points in Scrabble · 16 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“defination” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from DEFINITION.