depth

/dɛpθ/

//dɛpθ// noun

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

"depth" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“depth” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,725. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,725
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - the vertical distance below a surface; the degree to which something is deep

Corpus desk

Index EN-depth · depth · English

depth · rank #2,725 · 8 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,725
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deliver

Nearest frequency peer: deliver (-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 “depth”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “depth” 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).

depth vs doth
60% similar
depth vs deputy
67% similar
depth vs depths
83% similar

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

Key facts for depth
PropertyValue
Headworddepth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɛpθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,725
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “depth”

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).depthlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “deliver” (#2,724), “deputy” (#2,726), “declared” (#2,723). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “depth” is #2,725. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around depth (IPA /dɛpθ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,725 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for depth, with forms such as "ddepth", "depht", and "deppth". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "doth", "deputy", "depths", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English depthe, from Old English *dīepþ (“depth”), from Proto-Germanic *diupiþō (“depth”), equivalent to deep + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognates Cognate with Scots deepth (“depth”), Saterland Frisian Djüpte (“depth”), West Frisian djipte … The correct English form is depth, spelled D-E-P-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    the vertical distance below a surface; the degree to which something is deep
  2. 2
    the distance between the front and the back, as the depth of a drawer or closet
  3. 3
    the intensity, complexity, strength, seriousness or importance of an emotion, situation, etc.
  4. 4
    lowness
  5. 5
    the total palette of available colors
  6. 6
    the property of appearing three-dimensional
  7. 7
    the deepest part (usually of a body of water)
  8. 8
    a very remote part.
  9. 9
    the most severe part
  10. 10
    the number of simple elements which an abstract conception or notion includes; the comprehension or content
  11. 11
    a pair of toothed wheels which work together
  12. 12
    the perpendicular distance from the chord to the farthest point of an arched surface
  13. 13
    the lower of the two ranks of a value in an ordered set of values
  14. 14
    A set of more than one ciphertext enciphered with the same key.
  15. 15
    An invariant of rings and modules, encoding information about dimensionality; see Depth (ring theory).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Measure the depth of the water in this part of the bay.
  2. The depth of her misery was apparent to everyone.

Etymology

From Middle English depthe, from Old English *dīepþ (“depth”), from Proto-Germanic *diupiþō (“depth”), equivalent to deep + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognates Cognate with Scots deepth (“depth”), Saterland Frisian Djüpte (“depth”), West Frisian djipte (“depth; abyss, chasm”), Dutch diepte (“depth”), German Low German, Limburgish Deepde (“depth”), Luxembourgish Déift (“depth”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål dybde (“depth”), Faroese dýpd (“depth”), Icelandic djúp, dýpi, dýpt (“depth”), Norwegian Nynorsk djup, djupn, djupt, dypt (“depth”), Swedish djup (“depth”), Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍀𐌹𐌸𐌰 (diupiþa, “depth”).

Synonyms

abyssbottombathosnadir

This word in other languages

profundidad(Español)profondeur(Français)Tiefe(Deutsch)profundidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddepth
  • depht
  • deppth
  • depthh
  • deptth
  • detph
  • dpeth
  • edpth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddepth1depht2deppth1depthh1deptth1detph2dpeth2edpth2
Edit distance from "depth"

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 "depth"?
"depth" is spelled D-E-P-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛpθ/.
What does "depth" mean?
As a noun, "depth" means: the vertical distance below a surface; the degree to which something is deep
What words are commonly confused with "depth"?
"depth" is commonly confused with "doth", "deputy", "depths". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "depth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "depth" is /dɛpθ/. 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 "depth"?
From Middle English depthe, from Old English *dīepþ (“depth”), from Proto-Germanic *diupiþō (“depth”), equivalent to deep + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognates Cognate with Scots deepth (“depth”), Saterland Frisian Djüpte (“depth”), West Frisi... 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 "depth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dirty#2,727crash#2,722chose#2,719error#2,731

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

earned8 variantsheaded8 variantsAmazon8 variantsorigin8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list