derring

/ˈdɛɹɪŋ/

//ˈdɛɹɪŋ// adj

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

The verdict

“derring” is uncommon English (frequency #93,614 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,614
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - daring

Corpus desk

Index EN-derring · derring · English

derring · rank #93,614 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #93,614
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH DeShawn

Nearest frequency peer: DeShawn (+2 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “derring”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “derring” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for derring
PropertyValue
Headwordderring
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɛɹɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#93,614
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “derring” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).derringlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “DeShawn” (#93,616), “dendrite” (#93,611), “Demir” (#93,610). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

derring is uncommon English at frequency #93,614 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈdɛɹɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "daring".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for derring, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is derring, spelled D-E-R-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    daring

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Drad for his derring doe and bloody deed.

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 "derring"?
"derring" is spelled D-E-R-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛɹɪŋ/.
What does "derring" mean?
As an adjective, "derring" means: daring
How do you pronounce "derring"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "derring" is /ˈdɛɹɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "derring" come from?
"derring" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "derring", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

What to do next

You've looked up "derring". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #93,614 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list