degeneracy
/dɪˈd͡ʒɛnəɹəsi/
"degeneracy" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“degeneracy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #45,877 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #45,877
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being degenerate (in all senses).
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 | degeneracy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈd͡ʒɛnəɹəsi/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #45,877 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “degeneracy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for degeneracy is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈd͡ʒɛnəɹəsi/. Corpus data places it at rank #45,877 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for degeneracy, with forms such as "ddegeneracy", "deegneracy", and "degeenracy". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "degenerate", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From degenerate + -cy. The correct English form is degeneracy, spelled D-E-G-E-N-E-R-A-C-Y.
Definition
- 1The state of being degenerate (in all senses).
- 2The ability of one part of the brain to take over another's function without being overexerted.
- 3A limiting case of a class of objects which appears to be qualitatively different from (and usually simpler than) the rest of the class.
Etymology
From degenerate + -cy.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddegeneracy,deegneracy,degeenracy,degenearcy,degeneraccy,degeneracyy,degenerayc,degenercay,degenerracy,degenneracy,degenreacy,deggeneracy,degneeracy,dgeeneracy,edgeneracy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of degeneracy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "degeneracy"?
What does "degeneracy" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "degeneracy"?
How do you pronounce "degeneracy"?
What is the origin of the word "degeneracy"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “degeneracy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-G-E-N-E-R-A-C-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈd͡ʒɛnəɹəsi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “degenerate” - see the side-by-side comparison. degeneracy vs degenerate
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.