deadman
"deadman" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“deadman” is uncommon English (frequency #57,325 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #57,325
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A corpse.
Corpus desk
Index EN-deadman · deadman · English
deadman · rank #57,325 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #57,325
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH dative
Nearest frequency peer: dative (-2 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 “deadman”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Danni
Danni
42,679 corpus weight
- dative
dative
42,678 corpus weight
- deadman
deadman
42,676 corpus weight
- decentralis…
decentralisation
42,674 corpus weight
- decolonizat…
decolonization
42,673 corpus weight
- deke
deke
42,671 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “deadman” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “deadman” in English
Rare enough to double-check
deadman is uncommon English at frequency #57,325 among 3,470 “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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how deadman appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
There is no deadman to be found at Deadman's Curve.
The building code requires deadmen for retaining walls.
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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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "deadman", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).