dermis

/ˈdɜː.mɪs/

//ˈdɜː.mɪs// noun

"dermis" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dermis” is uncommon English (frequency #58,635 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,635
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The tissue of the skin underlying the epidermis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dermis · dermis · English

dermis · rank #58,635 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,635
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dentition

Nearest frequency peer: dentition (-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 “dermis”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dermis
PropertyValue
Headworddermis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɜː.mɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#58,635
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dermis” 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).dermisfalls 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: “dentition” (#58,634), “Diallo” (#58,638), “Deepa” (#58,631). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dermis” is #58,635. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dermis is uncommon English at frequency #58,635 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɜː.mɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The tissue of the skin underlying the epidermis.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dermis, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin dermis, from Ancient Greek δέρμα (dérma, “skin, hide”), from δέρω (dérō, “to skin, to flay”). The correct English form is dermis, spelled D-E-R-M-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The tissue of the skin underlying the epidermis.

Etymology

From New Latin dermis, from Ancient Greek δέρμα (dérma, “skin, hide”), from δέρω (dérō, “to skin, to flay”).

Synonyms

dermdermacoriumcutiscutis veratrue skin

This word in other languages

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 "dermis"?
"dermis" is spelled D-E-R-M-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɜː.mɪs/.
What does "dermis" mean?
As a noun, "dermis" means: The tissue of the skin underlying the epidermis.
How do you pronounce "dermis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dermis" is /ˈdɜː.mɪs/. 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 "dermis"?
From New Latin dermis, from Ancient Greek δέρμα (dérma, “skin, hide”), from δέρω (dérō, “to skin, to flay”). 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 "dermis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list