daguerreotype

/dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp/

//dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp// noun

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

"daguerreotype" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“daguerreotype” is uncommon English (frequency #84,139 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,139
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An early type of photograph created by exposing a silver surface which has previously been exposed to either iodine vapor or iodine and bromine vapors; such a photograph.

Key facts for daguerreotype
PropertyValue
Headworddaguerreotype
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp/
Letters13
Frequency rank#84,139
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “daguerreotype” sits in English 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). daguerreotype lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

daguerreotype is uncommon English at frequency #84,139 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for daguerreotype, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French daguerréotype. Named after French artist Louis Daguerre (1787–1851) who announced the process in 1839. Daguerre developed the process after some years of collaborations with French chemist Nicéphore Niépce. The correct English form is daguerreotype, spelled D-A-G-U-E-R-R-E-O-T-Y-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An early type of photograph created by exposing a silver surface which has previously been exposed to either iodine vapor or iodine and bromine vapors; such a photograph.
  2. 2
    The process of making such photographs.
  3. 3
    A faithful or exact representation or description.

Etymology

From French daguerréotype. Named after French artist Louis Daguerre (1787–1851) who announced the process in 1839. Daguerre developed the process after some years of collaborations with French chemist Nicéphore Niépce.

This word in other languages

daguerrotipo(Español)daguerréotype(Français)Daguerreotypie(Deutsch)

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 "daguerreotype"?
"daguerreotype" is spelled D-A-G-U-E-R-R-E-O-T-Y-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp/.
What does "daguerreotype" mean?
As a noun, "daguerreotype" means: An early type of photograph created by exposing a silver surface which has previously been exposed to either iodine vapor or iodine and bromine vapors; such a photograph.
How do you pronounce "daguerreotype"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "daguerreotype" is /dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp/. 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 "daguerreotype"?
From French daguerréotype. Named after French artist Louis Daguerre (1787–1851) who announced the process in 1839. Daguerre developed the process after some years of collaborations with French chemist Nicéphore Niépce. 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.

Using “daguerreotype”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-G-U-E-R-R-E-O-T-Y-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dəˈɡɛɹ.(ɪ.)əʊˌtaɪp/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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