dendrite

/ˈdɛndɹaɪt/

//ˈdɛndɹaɪt// noun

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

"dendrite" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dendrite” is uncommon English (frequency #93,611 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,611
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A slender projection of a nerve cell which conducts nerve impulses from a synapse to the body of the cell; a dendron.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dendrite · dendrite · English

dendrite · rank #93,611 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #93,611
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Demir

Nearest frequency peer: Demir (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “dendrite”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “dendrite” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dendrite
PropertyValue
Headworddendrite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛndɹaɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#93,611
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dendrite” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).dendritefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Demir” (#93,610), “derring” (#93,614), “dedicatory” (#93,607). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dendrite” is #93,611. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dendrite is uncommon English at frequency #93,611 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɛndɹaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dendrite, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek δενδρίτης (dendrítēs, “of or pertaining to a tree”). Equivalent to dendr- + -ite. The correct English form is dendrite, spelled D-E-N-D-R-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A slender projection of a nerve cell which conducts nerve impulses from a synapse to the body of the cell; a dendron.
  2. 2
    Slender cell process emanating from the cell bodies of dendritic cells and follicular dendritic cells of the immune system.
  3. 3
    Tree-like structure of crystals growing as material crystallizes
  4. 4
    A hermit who lived in a tree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Little copses of television antennas. Whiplike, graceful thrilling metal dendrites drawing images from the air, bringing brotherhood, communion to immured apartment people.
  2. A typical brain neuron has perhaps a thousand little wires, called dendrites, which connect it with its fellows.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δενδρίτης (dendrítēs, “of or pertaining to a tree”). Equivalent to dendr- + -ite.

This word in other languages

dendrita(Español)dendrite(Français)

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 "dendrite"?
"dendrite" is spelled D-E-N-D-R-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛndɹaɪt/.
What does "dendrite" mean?
As a noun, "dendrite" means: A slender projection of a nerve cell which conducts nerve impulses from a synapse to the body of the cell; a dendron.
How do you pronounce "dendrite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dendrite" is /ˈdɛndɹaɪt/. 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 "dendrite"?
From Ancient Greek δενδρίτης (dendrítēs, “of or pertaining to a tree”). Equivalent to dendr- + -ite. 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 "dendrite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disabuse#93,621embezzle#93,659coiffure#93,562Clouseau#93,558

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list