Darwinism

/ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/

//ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m// noun

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

"darwinism" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Darwinism” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,201. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,201
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in ...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Darwinism vs Darwinian
78% similar

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

Key facts for Darwinism
PropertyValue
HeadwordDarwinism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/
Letters9
Frequency rank#40,201
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Darwinism” 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). Darwinism lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around Darwinism (IPA /ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,201 among 26,416 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for Darwinism, with forms such as "adrwinism", "dariwnism", and "darrwinism". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Darwinian", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Darwin + -ism (suffix forming names of schools of thought, systems, or theories), from the surname of the English natural philosopher, physician, and poet Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802), and his grandson the biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Dar… The correct English form is Darwinism, spelled D-A-R-W-I-N-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
  2. 2
    Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
  3. 3
    Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
  4. 4
    Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
  5. 5
    Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, 1871); also, belief in this theory.
  6. 6
    Erasmus Darwin's poetic style, or theory of natural philosophy suggesting that living organisms developed from simpler lifeforms (set out in his work Zoonomia, 1794–1796).

Etymology

From Darwin + -ism (suffix forming names of schools of thought, systems, or theories), from the surname of the English natural philosopher, physician, and poet Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802), and his grandson the biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). The word was apparently first applied in noun sense 1 (“Charles Darwin’s theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection”) by the English anthropologist and biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895) in 1860: see the quotation.

This word in other languages

darvinismo(Español)darwinisme(Français)Darwinismus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adrwinism
  • dariwnism
  • darrwinism
  • darwiinsm
  • darwinims
  • darwinismm
  • darwinissm
  • darwinnism
  • darwinsim
  • darwniism
  • darwwinism
  • dawrinism
  • ddarwinism
  • drawinism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adrwinism2dariwnism2darrwinism1darwiinsm2darwinims2darwinismm1darwinissm1darwinnism1
Edit distance from "Darwinism"

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 "Darwinism"?
"Darwinism" is spelled D-A-R-W-I-N-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/.
What does "Darwinism" mean?
As a noun, "Darwinism" means: Charles Darwin's theory regarding the evolution of living organisms through natural selection (set out chiefly in his works On the Origin of Species, 1859; and The Descent of Man, and Selection in ...
What words are commonly confused with "Darwinism"?
"Darwinism" is commonly confused with "Darwinian". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Darwinism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Darwinism" is /ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/. 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 "Darwinism"?
From Darwin + -ism (suffix forming names of schools of thought, systems, or theories), from the surname of the English natural philosopher, physician, and poet Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802), and his grandson the biologist, geologist, and naturalist C... 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 “Darwinism”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-R-W-I-N-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɑːwɪnɪz(ə)m/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Darwinian” - see the side-by-side comparison. Darwinism vs Darwinian
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list