# dementia

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪˈmɛnʃə/ · frequency rank #10,190

## Definitions
1. A progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Areas particularly affected include memory, attention, judgement, language and problem solving.
2. Madness or insanity.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dementia.

## Easily confused with
- **demented** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/demented-vs-dementia)

## Common misspellings (11)
`ddementia`, `deemntia`, `demenita`, `demenntia`, `dementai`, `dementtia`, `demetnia`, `demmentia`, `demnetia`, `dmeentia`, `edmentia`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dementia