def

/dɛf/

//dɛf// noun

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

"def" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“def” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #8,138) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#8,138
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Abbreviation of definition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-def · def · English

def · rank #8,138 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,138
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Danish

Nearest frequency peer: Danish (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “def”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “def” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

def vs do
33% similar
def vs Dr
0% similar
def vs di
33% similar

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

Key facts for def
PropertyValue
Headworddef
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɛf/
Letters3
Frequency rank#8,138
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “def” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).deflands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Danish” (#8,137), “deployment” (#8,139), “damaging” (#8,136). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for def is neighbouring look-alikes ("do", "Dr", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /dɛf/. Frequency #8,138 among 3,470 “D” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No misspelling variants are generated for def in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "do", "Dr", "di", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is def, spelled D-E-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Abbreviation of definition.
  2. 2
    Abbreviation of deficit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In that case Wills, J., adopted a dictionary def of “Cowkeeper” as, “one whose business it is to keep cows,” and added, “the business of a Cowkeeper is a special business of its own.”
  2. The Black Books also reflect [Philip Babcock] Gove’s notoriously brusque manner, no doubt gained from an early career in the Navy. Memos begin, “Editorializing has no place in definitions,” or “Godlove’s psychophysical defs of color names and their references had better be regarded as sacrosanct.” Sir, yes, sir!

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 "def"?
"def" is spelled D-E-F. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛf/.
What does "def" mean?
As a noun, "def" means: Abbreviation of definition.
What words are commonly confused with "def"?
"def" is commonly confused with "do", "Dr", "di". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "def"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "def" is /dɛf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "def" come from?
"def" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "def", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hay#8,152yay#8,108wax#8,105mod#8,172

What to do next

You've looked up "def". Here's where to go from here.

  • "def" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "do". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #8,138 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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