derecho

/dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ/

//dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ// noun

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

"derecho" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“derecho” is uncommon English (frequency #78,523 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,523
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-derecho · derecho · English

derecho · rank #78,523 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,523
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dermatological

Nearest frequency peer: dermatological (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “derecho”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “derecho” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for derecho
PropertyValue
Headwordderecho
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#78,523
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “derecho” in English

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).derechofalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “dermatological” (#78,524), “denuclearization” (#78,520), “defrosting” (#78,519). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “derecho” is #78,523. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

derecho is uncommon English at frequency #78,523 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds.".

Zero misspellings are on record for derecho in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Spanish derecho (“straight”). First used by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs in 1888, apparently coined to distinguish the winds from tornadoes, which rotate; compare tornado. Doublet of direct. The correct English form is derecho, spelled D-E-R-E-C-H-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Combining all of the above, the Arkansas Valley, Ouachita Mountains, Interior Plateau, and Southwest Appalachian ecoregions have the greatest risk of wind damage from tornadoes and derechos, whereas weakening hurricanes are an important disturbance, especially in the Piedmont ecoregion.
  2. Derechos have winds as powerful as those of some hurricanes and tornadoes. "Derecho" comes from the Spanish word meaning "straight."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Spanish derecho (“straight”). First used by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs in 1888, apparently coined to distinguish the winds from tornadoes, which rotate; compare tornado. Doublet of direct.

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 "derecho"?
"derecho" is spelled D-E-R-E-C-H-O. The IPA pronunciation is /dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ/.
What does "derecho" mean?
As a noun, "derecho" means: A windstorm characterized by strong, straight-line winds.
How do you pronounce "derecho"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "derecho" is /dəˈɹeɪ.t͡ʃoʊ/. 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 "derecho"?
Learned borrowing from Spanish derecho (“straight”). First used by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs in 1888, apparently coined to distinguish the winds from tornadoes, which rotate; compare tornado. Doublet of direct. 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 "derecho", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dousing#78,544Curaçao#78,501drizzly#78,551ducting#78,554

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list