dereliction
/dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/
"dereliction" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dereliction” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,868 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #49,868
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Willful neglect of one's duty.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dereliction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #49,868 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dereliction” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dereliction is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,868 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Willful neglect of one's duty.
- 2The act of abandoning something, or the state of being abandoned.
- 3Land gained from the water by a change of water-line.
Etymology
From Latin dērelictiō (“neglect, abandonment”), from dērelinquō (“I neglect, abandon”), from dē- + re- + linquō (“I leave”).
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "dereliction" mean?
What are common misspellings of "dereliction"?
How do you pronounce "dereliction"?
What is the origin of the word "dereliction"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “dereliction”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-R-E-L-I-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɛɹ.ɪˈlɪk.ʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.