depletion

/dɪˈpliːʃən/

//dɪˈpliːʃən// noun

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

"depletion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“depletion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,140. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,140
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of depleting, or the state of being depleted; exhaustion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-depletion · depletion · English

depletion · rank #24,140 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,140
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH delve

Nearest frequency peer: delve (-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 “depletion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “depletion” 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).

depletion vs deletion
89% similar
depletion vs depiction
78% similar
depletion vs deflation
78% similar

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

Key facts for depletion
PropertyValue
Headworddepletion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈpliːʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#24,140
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “depletion”

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).depletionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “delve” (#24,139), “discriminating” (#24,141), “decipher” (#24,138). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “depletion” is #24,140. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around depletion (IPA /dɪˈpliːʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,140 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for depletion, with forms such as "ddepletion", "delpetion", and "depeltion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "deletion", "depiction", "deflation", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin depletio, depletionem, from depleō. The correct English form is depletion, spelled D-E-P-L-E-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of depleting, or the state of being depleted; exhaustion.
  2. 2
    The consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished.
  3. 3
    The act of relieving congestion or plethora, by purging, blood-letting, or reduction of the system by abstinence.
  4. 4
    gradual expense or use of natural resources over time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Great Northern 4-4-0s have all vanished, and there has been some depletion in the ranks of North British "Glens" and "Scotts."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin depletio, depletionem, from depleō.

This word in other languages

depleción(Español)déplétion(Français)Erschöpfen(Deutsch)esgotamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddepletion
  • delpetion
  • depeltion
  • depleiton
  • deplesion
  • depletino
  • depletionn
  • depletoin
  • deplettion
  • deplletion
  • deplteion
  • deppletion
  • dpeletion
  • edpletion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of depletion - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddepletion1delpetion2depeltion2depleiton2deplesion1depletino2depletionn1depletoin2
Edit distance from "depletion"

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 "depletion"?
"depletion" is spelled D-E-P-L-E-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈpliːʃən/.
What does "depletion" mean?
As a noun, "depletion" means: The act of depleting, or the state of being depleted; exhaustion.
What words are commonly confused with "depletion"?
"depletion" is commonly confused with "deletion", "depiction", "deflation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "depletion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "depletion" is /dɪˈpliːʃən/. 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 "depletion"?
Borrowed from Latin depletio, depletionem, from depleō. 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 "depletion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dispersal#24,142crossword#24,131eyeshadow#24,154conceding#24,120

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Carrington14 variantsbriefings14 variantsasymmetric14 variantsidealistic14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list