derailment

noun

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

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

The verdict

“derailment” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,592. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,592
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-derailment · derailment · English

derailment · rank #41,592 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,592
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH demotion

Nearest frequency peer: demotion (-2 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 “derailment”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “derailment” 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
Key facts for derailment
PropertyValue
Headwordderailment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#41,592
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “derailment”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).derailmentlands 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 “demotion” (#41,590), “dif” (#41,594), “delectable” (#41,589). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “derailment” is #41,592. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around derailment, anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,592 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for derailment, with forms such as "dderailment", "dearilment", and "derailemnt". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French déraillement. The correct English form is derailment, spelled D-E-R-A-I-L-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.
  2. 2
    An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
  3. 3
    An instance of thwarting or frustrating something.
  4. 4
    A pattern of discourse (in speech or writing) that is a sequence of unrelated or only remotely related ideas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The length ganger saw the train passing with the van derailed and promptly telephoned the Sandbach signalman, who restored his signals to danger, but not in time to stop the train before the final derailment occurred.
  2. In retrospect, it was small wonder that Railtrack found its finances under pressure, as with ever increasing demand there was an inevitable effect on infrastructure renewals. Matters came to a head with the Hatfield accident on October 17 2000, when there was a high-speed derailment as a result of deferred track maintenance.

Etymology

From French déraillement.

This word in other languages

descarrilamiento(Español)déraillement(Français)Entgleisung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dderailment
  • dearilment
  • derailemnt
  • deraillment
  • derailmennt
  • derailmentt
  • derailmetn
  • derailmment
  • derailmnet
  • deraimlent
  • deraliment
  • derialment
  • derrailment
  • dreailment
  • edrailment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of derailment - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

dderailment1dearilment2derailemnt2deraillment1derailmennt1derailmentt1derailmetn2derailmment1
Edit distance from "derailment"

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 "derailment"?
"derailment" is spelled D-E-R-A-I-L-M-E-N-T.
What does "derailment" mean?
As a noun, "derailment" means: The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.
What are common misspellings of "derailment"?
Common misspellings include "dderailment", "dearilment", "derailemnt", "deraillment", "derailmennt". The correct spelling is "derailment".
What is the origin of the word "derailment"?
From French déraillement. 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 "derailment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

delectable#41,589discoverer#41,595dancefloor#41,585dreadfully#41,600

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

cobblestone15 variantschromebook15 variantsBratislava15 variantsbloodhound15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list