deadman
"deadman" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“deadman” is uncommon English (frequency #57,325 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #57,325
- frequency rank, English
- 26,416
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A corpse.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | deadman |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #57,325 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “deadman” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
deadman is uncommon English at frequency #57,325 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
deadman has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From dead + man. In the sense referring to a safety switch, the notion of an operator who is dead is the figurative archetype representing any incapacitation, absence, or inattention. See also Dead Hand in that regard. The correct English form is deadman, spelled D-E-A-D-M-A-N.
Definition
- 1A corpse.
- 2A long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays.
- 3A cutout device that operates in the event that an operator releases the control handles, leaves the operator's seat, or otherwise seems to be no longer present and alert.
Etymology
From dead + man. In the sense referring to a safety switch, the notion of an operator who is dead is the figurative archetype representing any incapacitation, absence, or inattention. See also Dead Hand in that regard.
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
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Using “deadman”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-A-D-M-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.