demolition

/ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/

//ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən// noun

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

"demolition" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“demolition” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,574. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,574
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process of demolishing or destroying buildings or other structures.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demolition · demolition · English

demolition · rank #12,574 · 15 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,574
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH debit

Nearest frequency peer: debit (-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 “demolition”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demolition” 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).

demolition vs demotion
80% similar
demolition vs deposition
80% similar
demolition vs devolution
80% similar

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

Key facts for demolition
PropertyValue
Headworddemolition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#12,574
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demolition”

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).demolitionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “debit” (#12,573), “Denis” (#12,575), “detailing” (#12,576). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demolition” is #12,574. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around demolition (IPA /ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,574 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The process of demolishing or destroying buildings or other structures.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for demolition, with forms such as "ddemolition", "demloition", and "demmolition". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "demotion", "deposition", "devolution", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French demolition, from Latin dēmōlītiō (“a tearing down”). Equivalent to demolish + -ion. The correct English form is demolition, spelled D-E-M-O-L-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of demolishing or destroying buildings or other structures.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. During the war, but unrecorded because of the requirements of censorship, a link with the now partly-abandoned Cardiff Railway disappeared with the demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct, near Treforest, South Wales, in the latter part of 1942. The steelwork in this structure, amounting to nearly 1,150 tons, was salvaged as scrap metal to assist the war effort.
  2. At Kiwi, 40 miles from Nelson [New Zealand], eight women installed themselves in the goods shed, taking with them their knitting, and a supply of food and magazines. The demolition crew was unable to pull the building down without injuring them.

Etymology

From Old French demolition, from Latin dēmōlītiō (“a tearing down”). Equivalent to demolish + -ion.

This word in other languages

demolición(Español)démolition(Français)Zerstörung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemolition
  • demloition
  • demmolition
  • demoiltion
  • demoliiton
  • demolision
  • demolitino
  • demolitionn
  • demolitoin
  • demolittion
  • demollition
  • demoltiion
  • deomlition
  • dmeolition
  • edmolition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of demolition - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddemolition1demloition2demmolition1demoiltion2demoliiton2demolision1demolitino2demolitionn1
Edit distance from "demolition"

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 "demolition"?
"demolition" is spelled D-E-M-O-L-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/.
What does "demolition" mean?
As a noun, "demolition" means: The process of demolishing or destroying buildings or other structures.
What words are commonly confused with "demolition"?
"demolition" is commonly confused with "demotion", "deposition", "devolution". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demolition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demolition" is /ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/. 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 "demolition"?
From Old French demolition, from Latin dēmōlītiō (“a tearing down”). Equivalent to demolish + -ion. 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 "demolition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

conceptual#12,567downstream#12,583compressed#12,564beforehand#12,549

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

bandwidth15 variantsFrankfurt15 variantsgenerosity15 variantsuniversally15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list