debasement

/dɪˈbeɪsmənt/

//dɪˈbeɪsmənt// noun

"debasement" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“debasement” is uncommon English (frequency #86,194 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,194
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of debasing or the state of being debased; a lowering or degradation, especially in character or quality.

Corpus desk

Index EN-debasement · debasement · English

debasement · rank #86,194 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,194
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Decameron

Nearest frequency peer: Decameron (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “debasement”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “debasement” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for debasement
PropertyValue
Headworddebasement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈbeɪsmənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#86,194
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “debasement” in English

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).debasementfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Decameron” (#86,195), “decriminalizing” (#86,197), “cyclophosphamide” (#86,188). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “debasement” is #86,194. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

debasement is uncommon English at frequency #86,194 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪˈbeɪsmənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for debasement, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From debase + -ment. The correct English form is debasement, spelled D-E-B-A-S-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of debasing or the state of being debased; a lowering or degradation, especially in character or quality.
  2. 2
    The lowering of the value of a currency by reducing the amount of valuable metal in the coins.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His large water-dog was acquainted with the fact, and upon the approach of his master, betrayed his sense of inferiority by a sanctity of deportment, a debasement of the ears, and a dropping of the lower jaw not altogether unworthy of a dog.
  2. She had given herself to Darrow, and concealed the episode from Owen Leath, with no more apparent sense of debasement than the vulgarest of adventuresses.

Etymology

From debase + -ment.

This word in other languages

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 "debasement"?
"debasement" is spelled D-E-B-A-S-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈbeɪsmənt/.
What does "debasement" mean?
As a noun, "debasement" means: The act of debasing or the state of being debased; a lowering or degradation, especially in character or quality.
How do you pronounce "debasement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "debasement" is /dɪˈbeɪsmənt/. 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 "debasement"?
From debase + -ment. 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 "debasement", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list