deadlock

Name: deadlock, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdɛdˌlɒk/

//ˈdɛdˌlɒk// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“deadlock” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,992. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,992
frequency rank, English: 3,470
“D” headwords: 12
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deadlock · deadlock · English

deadlock · rank #29,992 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

FREQ-MID #29,992
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
VAR-MID 12 variants
BOOK-MID 3,470
PHOTO-FINISH deactivate

Nearest frequency peer: deactivate (-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.

darkly

70,012
Davao

70,011
deactivate

70,010
deadlock

70,009
deathbed

70,008
deceitful

70,007

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

deadlock vs dreadlocks

80% similar

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

Key facts for deadlock
Property	Value
Headword	deadlock
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈdɛdˌlɒk/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#29,992
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deadlock”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).deadlocklands here:

#29,992

#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 “deactivate” (#29,991), “deathbed” (#29,993), “Davao” (#29,990). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deadlock” is #29,992. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around deadlock (IPA /ˈdɛdˌlɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,992 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for deadlock, with forms such as "daedlock", "ddeadlock", and "deaddlock". 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, "dreadlocks", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dead + lock. The correct English form is deadlock, spelled D-E-A-D-L-O-C-K.

Definition

1
A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.
2
An inability to continue due to two programs or devices each requiring a response from the other before completing an operation.
3
Synonym of deadbolt (“type of lock”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

The negotiation ended in deadlock, with neither party willing to compromise on the price.
If synchronization is always performed in least-first order with respect to object tags, then situations can never arise in which one thread has the synchronization lock for x while waiting for y and another has the lock for y while waiting for x. Instead, they will both obtain the locks in the same order, thus avoiding this form of deadlock.

Etymology

From dead + lock.

This word in other languages

estancamiento(Español)impasse(Français)Stillstand(Deutsch)impasse(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

daedlock
ddeadlock
deaddlock
deadlcok
deadllock
deadlocck
deadlockk
deadlokc
deadolck
dealdock
dedalock
edadlock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "deadlock"

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 "deadlock"?

"deadlock" is spelled D-E-A-D-L-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛdˌlɒk/.

What does "deadlock" mean?

As a noun, "deadlock" means: A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.

What words are commonly confused with "deadlock"?

"deadlock" is commonly confused with "dreadlocks". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "deadlock"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deadlock" is /ˈdɛdˌlɒk/. 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 "deadlock"?

From dead + lock. 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 "deadlock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deathbed#29,993 demented#29,998 displace#30,005 codified#29,973

Similar misspelling depth

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

equalizer12 variants cataract12 variants Cambrian12 variants fanciful12 variants