How to spell expiration

hear itex·pi·ra·tion/,ɛkspə'reɪʃən/nounSchwa and roots

What it means: The end of a period when something can be used.

In a sentence: The expiration date on the milk is tomorrow.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as expireation or expirration.

Same family: respiration, inspiration, respiratory, perspire. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Expiration comes from Latin *exspirare*, meaning “to breathe out” (*ex-* = out + *spirare* = to breathe). The same root *spir-* appears in words like spirit, inspire, and respiration, all historically connected to breathing or breath.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa) · -tion, -sion or -cian?

Try spelling it

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Words like this

documentation · dissertation · confirmation · resignation · authorization · verification · formation · stationery

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