degrade

/dɪˈɡɹeɪd/

//dɪˈɡɹeɪd// verb

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

"degrade" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“degrade” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,089. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,089
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To lower in value or social position.

Corpus desk

Index EN-degrade · degrade · English

degrade · rank #20,089 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,089
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH defunct

Nearest frequency peer: defunct (-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 “degrade”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “degrade” 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).

degrade vs degree
71% similar
degrade vs degraded
88% similar
degrade vs decade
71% similar

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

Key facts for degrade
PropertyValue
Headworddegrade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈɡɹeɪd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,089
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “degrade”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).degradelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “defunct” (#20,088), “defensively” (#20,087), “Denton” (#20,091). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “degrade” is #20,089. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around degrade (IPA /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #20,089 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for degrade, with forms such as "ddegrade", "degarde", and "deggrade". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "degree", "degraded", "decade", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French dégrader. The correct English form is degrade, spelled D-E-G-R-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To lower in value or social position.
  2. 2
    To reduce in quality or purity.
  3. 3
    To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fred degrades himself by his behaviour.
  2. […] [William] Prynne was sentenced by the Star-Chamber Court to be degraded from the bar, to stand in pillory at two places in London and lose an ear at each, to be branded on the forehead, to pay a fine of five thousand pounds, and to be imprisoned for life.

Etymology

From Middle French dégrader.

This word in other languages

degradar(Español)degradieren(Deutsch)degradar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddegrade
  • degarde
  • deggrade
  • degraed
  • degrdae
  • degrrade
  • dergade
  • dgerade
  • edgrade

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddegrade1degarde2deggrade1degraed2degrdae2degrrade1dergade2dgerade2
Edit distance from "degrade"

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 "degrade"?
"degrade" is spelled D-E-G-R-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/.
What does "degrade" mean?
As a verb, "degrade" means: To lower in value or social position.
What words are commonly confused with "degrade"?
"degrade" is commonly confused with "degree", "degraded", "decade". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "degrade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "degrade" is /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/. 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 "degrade"?
From Middle French dégrader. 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 "degrade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

defunct#20,088decimal#20,086diffuse#20,095dreamer#20,099

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Denton9 variantsdashed9 variantscrates9 variantsepitome9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list