deanery

/ˈdiː.nə.ɹi/

//ˈdiː.nə.ɹi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"deanery" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deanery” is uncommon English (frequency #72,222 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,222
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The position held by a dean.

Key facts for deanery
PropertyValue
Headworddeanery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdiː.nə.ɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#72,222
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “deanery” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deanery is uncommon English at frequency #72,222 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdiː.nə.ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for deanery in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English denerye; equivalent to dean + -ery. The correct English form is deanery, spelled D-E-A-N-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The position held by a dean.
  2. 2
    The house in which a dean lives.
  3. 3
    The group of parishes for which a rural dean has responsibility.

Etymology

From Middle English denerye; equivalent to dean + -ery.

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 "deanery"?
"deanery" is spelled D-E-A-N-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdiː.nə.ɹi/.
What does "deanery" mean?
As a noun, "deanery" means: The position held by a dean.
How do you pronounce "deanery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deanery" is /ˈdiː.nə.ɹi/. 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 "deanery"?
From Middle English denerye; equivalent to dean + -ery. 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.

Using “deanery”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-A-N-E-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdiː.nə.ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list