degree
/dɪˈɡɹiː/
"degree" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“degree” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,217 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #1,217
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university/college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can includ...
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 | degree |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈɡɹiː/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #1,217 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “degree” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for degree is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈɡɹiː/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,217 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for degree, with forms such as "ddegree", "degere", and "deggree". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Derek", "degrees", "decree", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English degre, borrowed from Old French degré (French: degré), itself from Latin gradus, with the prefix de-. The correct English form is degree, spelled D-E-G-R-E-E.
Definition
- 1A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university/college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can include secondary schools.)
- 2A unit of measurement of angle equal to ¹⁄₃₆₀ of a circle's circumference.
- 3A unit of measurement of temperature on any of several scales, such as Celsius or Fahrenheit.
- 4The sum of the exponents of a term; the order of a polynomial.
- 5The dimensionality of a field extension.
- 6The number of edges that a vertex takes part in; a valency.
- 7The number of logical connectives in a formula.
- 8The curvature of a circular arc, expressed as the angle subtended by a fixed length of arc or chord.
- 9A unit of measurement of latitude and longitude which together identify a location on the Earth's surface.
- 10Any of the stages (like positive, comparative, superlative, elative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb.
- 11A step on a set of stairs; the rung of a ladder.
- 12An individual step, or stage, in any process or scale of values.
- 13A stage of rank or privilege; social standing.
- 14A ‘step’ in genealogical descent.
- 15One's relative state or experience; way, manner.
- 16The amount that an entity possesses a certain property; relative intensity, extent.
Etymology
From Middle English degre, borrowed from Old French degré (French: degré), itself from Latin gradus, with the prefix de-.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddegree,degere,deggree,degre,degrree,dergee,dgeree,edgree
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of degree - 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
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Using “degree”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-G-R-E-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈɡɹiː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Derek” - see the side-by-side comparison. degree vs Derek
- 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.