deafness

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

/ˈdɛfnəs/

//ˈdɛfnəs// noun

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

The verdict

“deafness” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,759. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,759
frequency rank, English: 3,470
“D” headwords: 10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The condition of being deaf; the lack or loss of the ability to hear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deafness · deafness · English

deafness · rank #32,759 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #32,759
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-MID 10 variants
BOOK-MID 3,470
PHOTO-FINISH DDT

Nearest frequency peer: DDT (-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.

daisies

67,245
dandelion

67,244
DDT

67,243
deafness

67,242
decals

67,241
deflated

67,239

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

Key facts for deafness
Property	Value
Headword	deafness
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈdɛfnəs/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#32,759
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deafness”

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

#32,759

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “DDT” (#32,758), “decals” (#32,760), “dandelion” (#32,757). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deafness” is #32,759. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around deafness (IPA /ˈdɛfnəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,759 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for deafness, with forms such as "daefness", "ddeafness", and "deafenss". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English deefnesse; equivalent to deaf + -ness. The correct English form is deafness, spelled D-E-A-F-N-E-S-S.

Definition

1
The condition of being deaf; the lack or loss of the ability to hear.
2
Lack of knowledge or refusal to admit a particular problem, issue, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Paul wet his lips with his tongue, read: “ ‘Think you of I the fact that a deaf person cannot hear. Then, what deafness may we not all possess? What senses do we lack that we cannot see and cannot hear another world all around us? What is there around us that we cannot—’ ”
their deafness to her cries

Etymology

From Middle English deefnesse; equivalent to deaf + -ness.

This word in other languages

sordera(Español)surdité(Français)Taubheit(Deutsch)surdez(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

daefness
ddeafness
deafenss
deaffness
deafnes
deafnness
deafnses
deanfess
defaness
edafness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of deafness - 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 "deafness"

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 "deafness"?

"deafness" is spelled D-E-A-F-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛfnəs/.

What does "deafness" mean?

As a noun, "deafness" means: The condition of being deaf; the lack or loss of the ability to hear.

What are common misspellings of "deafness"?

Common misspellings include "daefness", "ddeafness", "deafenss", "deaffness", "deafnes". The correct spelling is "deafness".

How do you pronounce "deafness"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deafness" is /ˈdɛfnəs/. 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 "deafness"?

From Middle English deefnesse; equivalent to deaf + -ness. 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 "deafness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deflated#32,762 destruct#32,767 cramping#32,748 Devonian#32,770

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

cursive10 variants crutch10 variants drywall10 variants chinook10 variants