department

/dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/

//dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“department” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #583 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#583
frequency rank, English
10
letters
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A part, portion, or subdivision.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

department vs departmental
83% similar

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

Key facts for department
PropertyValue
Headworddepartment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#583
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “department” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for department is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/. Corpus data places it at rank #583 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for department, with forms such as "ddepartment", "deaprtment", and "deparmtent". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "departmental", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English departement (“ceasing, end”), from Middle French département. Later senses borrowed from Modern French département. Doublet of département. The correct English form is department, spelled D-E-P-A-R-T-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A part, portion, or subdivision.
  2. 2
    A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like.
  3. 3
    A specified aspect or quality.
  4. 4
    A subdivision of an organization.
  5. 5
    A subdivision of an organization.
  6. 6
    A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts into which the country is divided for governmental purposes, similar to a county in the UK and in the USA. France is composed of 101 départements organized in 18 régions, each department is divided into arrondissements, in turn divided into cantons.
  7. 7
    A military subdivision of a country
  8. 8
    Act of departing; departure.

Etymology

From Middle English departement (“ceasing, end”), from Middle French département. Later senses borrowed from Modern French département. Doublet of département.

Synonyms

provincespecialtyministry

This word in other languages

sección(Español)ministère(Français)Abteilung(Deutsch)departamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddepartment,deaprtment,deparmtent,deparrtment,departemnt,departmennt,departmentt,departmetn,departmment,departmnet,departtment,depatrment,deppartment,depratment,dpeartment,edpartment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddepartment1deaprtment2deparmtent2deparrtment1departemnt2departmennt1departmentt1departmetn2
Edit distance from "department"

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 "department"?
"department" is spelled D-E-P-A-R-T-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/.
What does "department" mean?
As a noun, "department" means: A part, portion, or subdivision.
What words are commonly confused with "department"?
"department" is commonly confused with "departmental". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "department"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "department" is /dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/. 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 "department"?
From Middle English departement (“ceasing, end”), from Middle French département. Later senses borrowed from Modern French département. Doublet of département. 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.

Using “department”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-P-A-R-T-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “departmental” - see the side-by-side comparison. department vs departmental
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list