debit

/ˈdɛb.ɪt/

//ˈdɛb.ɪt// noun

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

"debit" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“debit” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,573. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,573
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account.

Corpus desk

Index EN-debit · debit · English

debit · rank #12,573 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,573
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH demolition

Nearest frequency peer: demolition (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “debit”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

debit vs DEI
0% similar
debit vs dit
60% similar
debit vs debt
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for debit
PropertyValue
Headworddebit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛb.ɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,573
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “debit”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “demolition” (#12,574), “Danielle” (#12,571), “Denis” (#12,575). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “debit” is #12,573. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around debit (IPA /ˈdɛb.ɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,573 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for debit, with forms such as "dbeit", "ddebit", and "debbit". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DEI", "dit", "debt", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French debet, from Latin debitum (“what is owed, a debt”), neuter of debitus, past participle of debere (“to owe”); Doublet of debt. The correct English form is debit, spelled D-E-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    In bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account.
  2. 2
    A sum of money taken out of a bank account. Thus called, because in bank's bookkeeping a cash withdrawal diminishes the amount of money held on the account, i.e. bank's debt to the customer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A cash sale is recorded as debit on the cash account and as credit on the sales account.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French debet, from Latin debitum (“what is owed, a debt”), neuter of debitus, past participle of debere (“to owe”); Doublet of debt.

This word in other languages

débito(Español)débit(Français)Soll(Deutsch)débito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dbeit
  • ddebit
  • debbit
  • debitt
  • debti
  • deibt
  • edbit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of debit - 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.

dbeit2ddebit1debbit1debitt1debti2deibt2edbit2
Edit distance from "debit"

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 "debit"?
"debit" is spelled D-E-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛb.ɪt/.
What does "debit" mean?
As a noun, "debit" means: In bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account.
What words are commonly confused with "debit"?
"debit" is commonly confused with "DEI", "dit", "debt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "debit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "debit" is /ˈdɛb.ɪt/. 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 "debit"?
Borrowed from Middle French debet, from Latin debitum (“what is owed, a debt”), neuter of debitus, past participle of debere (“to owe”); Doublet of debt. 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 "debit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Denis#12,575Clive#12,563Ebola#12,586Ellie#12,589

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

carrot7 variantscanned7 variantsassert7 variantsgamer7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list