defuse
/diːˈfjuːz/
"defuse" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“defuse” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,609. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #33,609
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 16
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb).
Corpus desk
Index EN-defuse · defuse · English
defuse · rank #33,609 · 8 variants · 16 confusables
- FREQ-MID #33,609
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
- VAR-MID 8 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH depositing
Nearest frequency peer: depositing (+2 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 “defuse”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- dba
dba
66,397 corpus weight
- Deane
Deane
66,395 corpus weight
- defuse
defuse
66,392 corpus weight
- depositing
depositing
66,390 corpus weight
- Dermot
Dermot
66,389 corpus weight
- devs
devs
66,387 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “defuse” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | defuse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /diːˈfjuːz/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #33,609 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 16 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “defuse” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 8 spelling variants around defuse (IPA /diːˈfjuːz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #33,609 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for defuse, with forms such as "ddefuse", "deffuse", and "defsue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "dense", "deuce", "douse", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + fuse. The correct English form is defuse, spelled D-E-F-U-S-E.
Definition
- 1To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb).
- 2To make less dangerous, tense, or hostile.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how defuse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Shepard: I wear a lot of hats, Mr. Vargas. Some days I shut down criminals. Some days I defuse nukes. Some days I like to enjoy private vices. You understand me?
to defuse a hostage situation
Etymology
From de- + fuse.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ddefuse
- deffuse
- defsue
- defues
- defusse
- deufse
- dfeuse
- edfuse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of defuse - 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.
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 "defuse"?
What does "defuse" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "defuse"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "defuse", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "defuse". Here's where to go from here.
- "defuse" maps to 16 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "dense". View pair
- 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #33,609 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.