degeneration
/dɪˌdʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/
"degeneration" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“degeneration” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,723 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,723
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process or state of growing worse, or the state of having become worse.
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 | degeneration |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˌdʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #24,723 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “degeneration” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for degeneration is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˌdʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,723 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for degeneration, with forms such as "ddegeneration", "deegneration", and "degeenration". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "degenerative", "deceleration", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French dégénération, from Latin dēgenerātiō. The correct English form is degeneration, spelled D-E-G-E-N-E-R-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The process or state of growing worse, or the state of having become worse.
- 2That condition of a tissue or an organ in which its vitality has become either diminished or perverted; a substitution of a lower for a higher form of structure.
- 3Gradual deterioration, from natural causes, of any class of animals or plants or any particular organ or organs; hereditary degradation of type.
- 4A thing that has degenerated.
Etymology
From French dégénération, from Latin dēgenerātiō.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddegeneration,deegneration,degeenration,degeneartion,degeneraiton,degenerasion,degeneratino,degenerationn,degeneratoin,degenerattion,degenerration,degenertaion,degenneration,degenreation,deggeneration,degneeration,dgeeneration,edgeneration
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of degeneration - 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 "degeneration"?
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Using “degeneration”
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-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˌdʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “degenerative” - see the side-by-side comparison. degeneration vs degenerative
- 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.