bedridden
/ˈbɛdɹɪdən/
"bedridden" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bedridden” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,644 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #44,644
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Confined to bed because of infirmity or illness.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bedridden |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈbɛdɹɪdən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #44,644 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bedridden” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bedridden is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɛdɹɪdən/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,644 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Confined to bed because of infirmity or illness.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for bedridden, with forms such as "bbedridden", "bderidden", and "beddridden". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bedredyn, bedraden, bedreden, bæddrædæn (also as bedreede, bedrede), from Old English bedreda (“bedridden”, adj.), from bedreda, bedrida, bæddryda (“one who is bedridden”, noun), from bed, bedd (“bed”) + rida (“rider”), with -en by analo… The correct English form is bedridden, spelled B-E-D-R-I-D-D-E-N.
Definition
- 1Confined to bed because of infirmity or illness.
Etymology
From Middle English bedredyn, bedraden, bedreden, bæddrædæn (also as bedreede, bedrede), from Old English bedreda (“bedridden”, adj.), from bedreda, bedrida, bæddryda (“one who is bedridden”, noun), from bed, bedd (“bed”) + rida (“rider”), with -en by analogy with past participle adjectives.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bbedridden,bderidden,beddridden,bedirdden,bedrdiden,bedriddenn,bedriddne,bedridedn,bedriden,bedrridden,berdidden,ebdridden
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bedridden - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “bedridden”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-E-D-R-I-D-D-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɛdɹɪdən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.