derailment
"derailment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“derailment” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,592 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #41,592
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | derailment |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #41,592 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “derailment” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for derailment is 10 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #41,592 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.
- 2An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
- 3An instance of thwarting or frustrating something.
- 4A pattern of discourse (in speech or writing) that is a sequence of unrelated or only remotely related ideas.
Etymology
From French déraillement.
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "derailment" mean?
What are common misspellings of "derailment"?
What is the origin of the word "derailment"?
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Using “derailment”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-R-A-I-L-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.