debut
/ˈdɛbjuː/
"debut" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“debut” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,885 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #2,885
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A performer's first performance to the public, in sport, the arts or some other area.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | debut |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɛbjuː/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #2,885 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “debut” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for debut is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɛbjuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,885 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for debut, with forms such as "dbeut", "ddebut", and "debbut". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dent", "deft", "depot", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French début, from Middle French, derivative of débuter (“to move, begin”), from dé- + but (“mark, goal”), from Old French but (“aim, goal, end, target”), from Old French butte (“mound, knoll, target”), from Frankish *but (“stump, log”), or from Old No… The correct English form is debut, spelled D-E-B-U-T.
Definition
- 1A performer's first performance to the public, in sport, the arts or some other area.
- 2The first public presentation of a theatrical play, motion picture, opera, musical composition, dance, or other performing arts piece.
- 3The first appearance of a debutante in society.
- 4The coming-of-age celebration of a woman's eighteenth birthday.
Etymology
From French début, from Middle French, derivative of débuter (“to move, begin”), from dé- + but (“mark, goal”), from Old French but (“aim, goal, end, target”), from Old French butte (“mound, knoll, target”), from Frankish *but (“stump, log”), or from Old Norse bútr (“log, stump, butt”); both from Proto-Germanic *butą (“end, piece”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewd- (“to beat, push”). Cognate with Old English butt (“tree stump”). More at butt. The Philippine sense is influenced by Spanish debut.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: dbeut,ddebut,debbut,debtu,debutt,deubt,edbut
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of debut - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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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Using “debut”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-B-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɛbjuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dent” - see the side-by-side comparison. debut vs dent
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.