dead

/dɛd/

//dɛd// adj

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

"dead" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dead” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #652. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#652
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - No longer living; deceased. (Also used as a noun.)

Corpus desk

Index EN-dead · dead · English

dead · rank #652 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #652
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH couple

Nearest frequency peer: couple (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “dead”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “dead” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dead vs did
50% similar
dead vs DNA
0% similar
dead vs del
50% similar

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

Key facts for dead
PropertyValue
Headworddead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɛd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#652
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dead” 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). dead 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 5 spelling variants around dead (IPA /dɛd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #652 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 30 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for dead, with forms such as "daed", "ddead", and "deadd". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "did", "DNA", "del", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish, Norwegian død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud. The correct English form is dead, spelled D-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    No longer living; deceased. (Also used as a noun.)
  2. 2
    Devoid of living things; barren.
  3. 3
    Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.
  4. 4
    Utterly exhausted.
  5. 5
    So hated or offensive as to be absolutely shunned, ignored, or ostracized.
  6. 6
    Doomed; marked for death; as good as dead.
  7. 7
    Without emotion; impassive.
  8. 8
    Stationary; static; immobile or immovable.
  9. 9
    Without interest to one of the senses; dull; flat.
  10. 10
    Unproductive; fallow.
  11. 11
    Past, bygone, vanished.
  12. 12
    Lacking usual activity; unexpectedly quiet or empty of people.
  13. 13
    Completely inactive; currently without power; without a signal; not live.
  14. 14
    Unable to emit power, being discharged (flat) or faulty.
  15. 15
    Broken or inoperable.
  16. 16
    No longer used or required.
  17. 17
    Intentionally designed so as not to impart motion or power.
  18. 18
    Not in play.
  19. 19
    Lying so near the hole that the player is certain to hole it in the next stroke.
  20. 20
    Tagged out.
  21. 21
    Full and complete (usually applied to nouns involving lack of motion, sound, activity, or other signs of life).
  22. 22
    Exact; on the dot.
  23. 23
    Experiencing pins and needles (paresthesia).
  24. 24
    Expresses an emotional reaction associated with hyperbolic senses of die:
  25. 25
    Expresses an emotional reaction associated with hyperbolic senses of die:
  26. 26
    Constructed so as not to reflect or transmit sound; soundless; anechoic.
  27. 27
    Bringing death; deadly.
  28. 28
    Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property.
  29. 29
    Indifferent to; having no obligation toward; no longer subject to or ruled by (sin, guilt, pleasure, etc).
  30. 30
    Of a syllable in languages such as Thai and Burmese: ending abruptly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All of my grandparents are dead.
  2. Have respect for the dead.

Etymology

From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish, Norwegian død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud.

Synonyms

asleepat restblessedcadaverousclay-colddeceasedrestingdecomposeddefunctdepartedexpiredextinctfeygonegoodinanimateinertkaputlatelifelessliving impairedlowno longer with usno moreperishedreposingsix feet deepsix feet understiffunalivewastedwhilomwith God

Antonyms

aliveliveliving

This word in other languages

muerto(Español)mort(Français)tot(Deutsch)morto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • daed
  • ddead
  • deadd
  • deda
  • edad

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dead - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

daed2ddead1deadd1deda2edad2
Edit distance from "dead"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dead"?
"dead" is spelled D-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛd/.
What does "dead" mean?
As an adjective, "dead" means: No longer living; deceased. (Also used as a noun.)
What words are commonly confused with "dead"?
"dead" is commonly confused with "did", "DNA", "del". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dead"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dead" is /dɛd/. 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 "dead"?
From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish, Norwegian død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud. 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 "dead", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hold#655star#666test#667lead#636

Similar misspelling depth

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

view5 variantsdied5 variantshour5 variantsJune5 variants
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