deadbolt

/ˈdɛdˌboʊ̯lt/

//ˈdɛdˌboʊ̯lt// noun

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

The verdict

“deadbolt” is uncommon English (frequency #80,366 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,366
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part of the lock which is moved when the key is engaged.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deadbolt · deadbolt · English

deadbolt · rank #80,366 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,366
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deary

Nearest frequency peer: deary (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “deadbolt”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “deadbolt” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for deadbolt
PropertyValue
Headworddeadbolt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛdˌboʊ̯lt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#80,366
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “deadbolt” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).deadboltfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “deary” (#80,367), “Deboer” (#80,368), “Debora” (#80,369). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deadbolt” is #80,366. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deadbolt is uncommon English at frequency #80,366 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɛdˌboʊ̯lt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for deadbolt, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dead + bolt. The correct English form is deadbolt, spelled D-E-A-D-B-O-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of the lock which is moved when the key is engaged.
  2. 2
    A kind of lock in which the bolt (moving portion) is held in position by the cylinder rather than by a spring and so cannot be retracted except by turning the cylinder.

Etymology

From dead + bolt.

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 "deadbolt"?
"deadbolt" is spelled D-E-A-D-B-O-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛdˌboʊ̯lt/.
What does "deadbolt" mean?
As a noun, "deadbolt" means: The part of the lock which is moved when the key is engaged.
How do you pronounce "deadbolt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deadbolt" is /ˈdɛdˌboʊ̯lt/. 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 "deadbolt"?
From dead + bolt. 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 "deadbolt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list