# deed

> English word · Noun · IPA /diːd/ · frequency rank #10,352

## Definitions
1. An action or act; something that is done.
2. A brave or noteworthy action; a feat or exploit.
3. Action or fact, as opposed to rhetoric or deliberation.
4. A legal instrument that is executed under seal or before a witness; sometimes required for certain legal activities, such as the transfer of certain kinds of property.
5. A legal instrument that is executed under seal or before a witness; sometimes required for certain legal activities, such as the transfer of certain kinds of property.

## Etymology
From Middle English dede, from Old English dēd, dǣd (“deed, act”), from Proto-West Germanic *dādi, from Proto-Germanic *dēdiz (“deed”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tis (“deed, action”). Analyzable through Proto-Germanic as do + -th. Doublet of thesis.
The real estate sense derives from the fact that property deeds are traditionally used to demonstrate proof of ownership of a legal title in common law jurisdictions, such as England & Wales and most of the United States.
Cognates
Cognate with West Frisian died, Dutch daad (“deed, act”), German Low German Daad, German Tat (“deed, action”), Swedish, Norwegian and Danish dåd (“act, action”). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek θέσις (thésis, “setting, arrangement”).

## Easily confused with
- **did** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-did)
- **due** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-due)
- **die** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-die)
- **del** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-del)
- **Des** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-des)
- **DVD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dvd)
- **der** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-der)
- **den** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-den)
- **def** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-def)
- **dem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dem)
- **doe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-doe)
- **dye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dye)
- **dev** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dev)
- **dew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dew)
- **Dre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dre)
- **DOD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dod)
- **DEI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dei)
- **dex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dex)
- **dey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dey)
- **dud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deed-vs-dud)

## Common misspellings (4)
`ddeed`, `dede`, `deedd`, `eded`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/deed