defeated

/dɪˈfiːtəd/

//dɪˈfiːtəd// adj

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

"defeated" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“defeated” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,412. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,412
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Subjugated, beaten, overcome.

Corpus desk

Index EN-defeated · defeated · English

defeated · rank #5,412 · 11 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,412
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH decrease

Nearest frequency peer: decrease (-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 “defeated”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “defeated” 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).

defeated vs deleted
75% similar
defeated vs deflate
75% similar
defeated vs detected
75% similar

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

Key facts for defeated
PropertyValue
Headworddefeated
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈfiːtəd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,412
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “defeated”

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).defeatedlands 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 “decrease” (#5,411), “diabetes” (#5,413), “dam” (#5,410). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “defeated” is #5,412. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around defeated (IPA /dɪˈfiːtəd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,412 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Subjugated, beaten, overcome.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for defeated, with forms such as "ddefeated", "deefated", and "defaeted". 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. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "deleted", "deflate", "detected", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From defeat + -ed. The correct English form is defeated, spelled D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Subjugated, beaten, overcome.

Etymology

From defeat + -ed.

Synonyms

foiledbeatenbestedbrokenconfoundedconquereddefeatedlickedovercomeoverpoweredpwnedrecreantrektroutedstonkeredsubjugatedthwartedundonevanquishedworstedwrecked

Antonyms

unbeatenunbestedunconqueredundefeatedconqueringtriumphantvictorious

This word in other languages

vencido(Español)vaincu(Français)besiegt(Deutsch)derrotado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddefeated
  • deefated
  • defaeted
  • defeaetd
  • defeatde
  • defeatedd
  • defeatted
  • defetaed
  • deffeated
  • dfeeated
  • edfeated

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of defeated - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddefeated1deefated2defaeted2defeaetd2defeatde2defeatedd1defeatted1defetaed2
Edit distance from "defeated"

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 "defeated"?
"defeated" is spelled D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈfiːtəd/.
What does "defeated" mean?
As an adjective, "defeated" means: Subjugated, beaten, overcome.
What words are commonly confused with "defeated"?
"defeated" is commonly confused with "deleted", "deflate", "detected". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "defeated"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defeated" is /dɪˈfiːtəd/. 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 "defeated"?
From defeat + -ed. 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 "defeated", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

decrease#5,411diabetes#5,413dressing#5,414contrary#5,404

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

colonial11 variantsaviation11 variantsloyalty11 variantsplacing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list