dereliction

/dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/

//dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən// noun

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

"dereliction" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dereliction” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,868. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,868
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Willful neglect of one's duty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dereliction · dereliction · English

dereliction · rank #49,868 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,868
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deregulated

Nearest frequency peer: deregulated (-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 “dereliction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dereliction” 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 dereliction
PropertyValue
Headworddereliction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#49,868
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dereliction”

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).derelictionlands 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 “deregulated” (#49,867), “dependability” (#49,866), “dikes” (#49,870). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dereliction” is #49,868. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around dereliction (IPA /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,868 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for dereliction, with forms such as "ddereliction", "deerliction", and "dereilction". 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, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dērelictiō (“neglect, abandonment”), from dērelinquō (“I neglect, abandon”), from dē- + re- + linquō (“I leave”). The correct English form is dereliction, spelled D-E-R-E-L-I-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Willful neglect of one's duty.
  2. 2
    The act of abandoning something, or the state of being abandoned.
  3. 3
    Land gained from the water by a change of water-line.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The new soldier did not clean his cabin and was scolded for dereliction and disobedience.
  2. What he did was a terrible dereliction of duty.

Etymology

From Latin dērelictiō (“neglect, abandonment”), from dērelinquō (“I neglect, abandon”), from dē- + re- + linquō (“I leave”).

This word in other languages

negligencia(Español)prévarication(Français)Dereliktion(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddereliction
  • deerliction
  • dereilction
  • derelcition
  • derelicction
  • dereliciton
  • derelicsion
  • derelictino
  • derelictionn
  • derelictoin
  • derelicttion
  • derelitcion
  • derelliction
  • derleiction
  • derreliction
  • dreeliction
  • edreliction

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddereliction1deerliction2dereilction2derelcition2derelicction1dereliciton2derelicsion1derelictino2
Edit distance from "dereliction"

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 "dereliction"?
"dereliction" is spelled D-E-R-E-L-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/.
What does "dereliction" mean?
As a noun, "dereliction" means: Willful neglect of one's duty.
What are common misspellings of "dereliction"?
Common misspellings include "ddereliction", "deerliction", "dereilction", "derelcition", "derelicction". The correct spelling is "dereliction".
How do you pronounce "dereliction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dereliction" is /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/. 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 "dereliction"?
From Latin dērelictiō (“neglect, abandonment”), from dērelinquō (“I neglect, abandon”), from dē- + re- + linquō (“I leave”). 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 "dereliction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deregulated#49,867efficacious#49,890cataloguing#49,816goalscoring#49,946

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

accelerometer17 variantsimmunological17 variantsimpertinent17 variantsunpalatable17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list