derailed

verb

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

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

The verdict

“derailed” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,032. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,032
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past and past participle of derail

Corpus desk

Index EN-derailed · derailed · English

derailed · rank #25,032 · 11 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,032
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dill

Nearest frequency peer: dill (+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 “derailed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “derailed” 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).

derailed vs derived
75% similar
derailed vs drained
75% similar
derailed vs derided
75% similar

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

Key facts for derailed
PropertyValue
Headwordderailed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,032
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “derailed”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dill” (#25,033), “Dimitri” (#25,034), “DAW” (#25,029). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “derailed” is #25,032. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around derailed, averb. Corpus frequency is #25,032 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past and past participle of derail".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for derailed, with forms such as "dderailed", "deariled", and "deraield". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "derived", "drained", "derided", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is derailed, spelled D-E-R-A-I-L-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of derail

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Sparks from the derailed bogie of the train were first noticed by the signalman at Slough West box, who immediately sent to Slough Middle box the "Stop and Examine" signal, followed at once by "Obstruction Danger" when he realised that the coach was derailed.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dderailed
  • deariled
  • deraield
  • derailde
  • derailedd
  • derailled
  • deralied
  • derialed
  • derrailed
  • dreailed
  • edrailed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

dderailed1deariled2deraield2derailde2derailedd1derailled1deralied2derialed2
Edit distance from "derailed"

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 "derailed"?
"derailed" is spelled D-E-R-A-I-L-E-D.
What does "derailed" mean?
As a verb, "derailed" means: simple past and past participle of derail
What words are commonly confused with "derailed"?
"derailed" is commonly confused with "derived", "drained", "derided". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "derailed" come from?
"derailed" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "derailed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

diseased#25,037cuddling#25,026dispense#25,039enacting#25,047

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

crusher11 variantscorrosive11 variantsBurberry11 variantshandball11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list