betrayal

/bɪˈtɹeɪəl/

//bɪˈtɹeɪəl// noun

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

"betrayal" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“betrayal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,509. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,509
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of betraying.

Corpus desk

Index EN-betrayal · betrayal · English

betrayal · rank #11,509 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,509
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bengal

Nearest frequency peer: Bengal (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “betrayal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “betrayal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

betrayal vs betrayed
75% similar
betrayal vs betray
75% similar

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

Key facts for betrayal
PropertyValue
Headwordbetrayal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɪˈtɹeɪəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,509
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “betrayal”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).betrayallands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Bengal” (#11,508), “boiled” (#11,510), “bending” (#11,507). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “betrayal” is #11,509. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around betrayal (IPA /bɪˈtɹeɪəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,509 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act of betraying.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for betrayal, with forms such as "bbetrayal", "bertayal", and "betaryal". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "betrayed", "betray", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From betray + -al. The correct English form is betrayal, spelled B-E-T-R-A-Y-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of betraying.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how betrayal appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. But by the same token, an exclusive menu of betrayals is likely to be a starvation diet.
  2. The betrayal of our friends in Taiwan began with President Carter’s decision to terminate the mutual defense treaty with Taiwan that Congress had ratified in 1954.

Etymology

From betray + -al.

Synonyms

betrayalbreach of promisebreach of trustdouble-dealingJudas kissperfidiousnessperfidyproditionPunic faithstab in the backswiketergiversationtraitorytreacherousnesstreacherytreason

Antonyms

nonbetrayal

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbetrayal
  • bertayal
  • betaryal
  • betraayl
  • betrayall
  • betrayla
  • betrayyal
  • betrrayal
  • betryaal
  • bettrayal
  • bterayal
  • ebtrayal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbetrayal1bertayal2betaryal2betraayl2betrayall1betrayla2betrayyal1betrrayal1
Edit distance from "betrayal"

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

How do you spell "betrayal"?
"betrayal" is spelled B-E-T-R-A-Y-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈtɹeɪəl/.
What does "betrayal" mean?
As a noun, "betrayal" means: The act of betraying.
What words are commonly confused with "betrayal"?
"betrayal" is commonly confused with "betrayed", "betray". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "betrayal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "betrayal" is /bɪˈtɹeɪəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "betrayal"?
From betray + -al. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "betrayal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clusters#11,519communal#11,520updating#11,490debating#11,529

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

wallpaper12 variantssquadron12 variantsgreeting12 variantsignition12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list