defamatory

/dɪˈfæmətɹi/

//dɪˈfæmətɹi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“defamatory” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,462. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,462
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Damaging to someone's reputation, especially if untrue.

Corpus desk

Index EN-defamatory · defamatory · English

defamatory · rank #34,462 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,462
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deconstruction

Nearest frequency peer: deconstruction (-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 “defamatory”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “defamatory” 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
Key facts for defamatory
PropertyValue
Headworddefamatory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈfæmətɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#34,462
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “defamatory”

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).defamatorylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “deconstruction” (#34,461), “depravity” (#34,463), “decider” (#34,460). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “defamatory” is #34,462. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around defamatory (IPA /dɪˈfæmətɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #34,462 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Damaging to someone's reputation, especially if untrue.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for defamatory, with forms such as "ddefamatory", "deafmatory", and "defaamtory". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French diffamatoire (altered after the prefix de-), from Medieval Latin diffāmātōrius. The correct English form is defamatory, spelled D-E-F-A-M-A-T-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Damaging to someone's reputation, especially if untrue.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. defamatory statement
  2. defamatory allegation

Etymology

From Middle French diffamatoire (altered after the prefix de-), from Medieval Latin diffāmātōrius.

Synonyms

defamatoryslanderousscurrilouslibelouscalumniousinjurious

This word in other languages

difamador(Español)diffamatoire(Français)verleumderisch(Deutsch)difamador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddefamatory
  • deafmatory
  • defaamtory
  • defamaotry
  • defamatorry
  • defamatoryy
  • defamatoyr
  • defamatroy
  • defamattory
  • defammatory
  • defamtaory
  • deffamatory
  • defmaatory
  • dfeamatory
  • edfamatory

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddefamatory1deafmatory2defaamtory2defamaotry2defamatorry1defamatoryy1defamatoyr2defamatroy2
Edit distance from "defamatory"

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 "defamatory"?
"defamatory" is spelled D-E-F-A-M-A-T-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈfæmətɹi/.
What does "defamatory" mean?
As an adjective, "defamatory" means: Damaging to someone's reputation, especially if untrue.
What are common misspellings of "defamatory"?
Common misspellings include "ddefamatory", "deafmatory", "defaamtory", "defamaotry", "defamatorry". The correct spelling is "defamatory".
How do you pronounce "defamatory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defamatory" is /dɪˈfæmətɹi/. 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 "defamatory"?
From Middle French diffamatoire (altered after the prefix de-), from Medieval Latin diffāmātōrius. 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 "defamatory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Ecuadorian#34,470Evansville#34,481habitually#34,511Bonneville#34,403

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

incitement15 variantsirregularly15 variantsveneration15 variantsvandalized15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list