Derry

/ˈdɛɹi/

//ˈdɛɹi// name

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

"derry" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Derry” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,643. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,643
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A city in northwestern Northern Ireland; also known as Londonderry.

Corpus desk

Index EN-derry · Derry · English

Derry · rank #22,643 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,643
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deprive

Nearest frequency peer: deprive (-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 “Derry”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Derry” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Derry vs dry
40% similar
Derry vs dey
40% similar
Derry vs dory
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Derry
PropertyValue
HeadwordDerry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈdɛɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#22,643
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Derry”

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).Derrylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “deprive” (#22,642), “devise” (#22,645), “deepening” (#22,640). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Derry” is #22,643. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around Derry (IPA /ˈdɛɹi/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #22,643 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Derry, with forms such as "dderry", "derryy", and "dery". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dry", "dey", "dory", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Irish Doire, from doire (“oak grove”), from Old Irish daire (“oak forest”), from Proto-Celtic *daru. The correct English form is Derry, spelled D-E-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A city in northwestern Northern Ireland; also known as Londonderry.
  2. 2
    One of the traditional counties in northwestern Northern Ireland; known as County Derry, or officially as County Londonderry.
  3. 3
    A town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States.
  4. 4
    A borough and township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States.
  5. 5
    A number of townships in Illinois (1) and Pennsylvania (4), United States, listed under Derry Township.
  6. 6
    A surname.
  7. 7
    A male given name.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. There was music there in the Derry air / Like a language that we could all understand

Etymology

From Irish Doire, from doire (“oak grove”), from Old Irish daire (“oak forest”), from Proto-Celtic *daru.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dderry
  • derryy
  • dery
  • deryr
  • drery
  • edrry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Derry - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

dderry1derryy1dery1deryr2drery2edrry2
Edit distance from "Derry"

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 "Derry"?
"Derry" is spelled D-E-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛɹi/.
What does "Derry" mean?
As a proper noun, "Derry" means: A city in northwestern Northern Ireland; also known as Londonderry.
What words are commonly confused with "Derry"?
"Derry" is commonly confused with "dry", "dey", "dory". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Derry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Derry" is /ˈdɛɹi/. 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 "Derry"?
From Irish Doire, from doire (“oak grove”), from Old Irish daire (“oak forest”), from Proto-Celtic *daru. 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 "Derry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Daley#22,637drier#22,652Duane#22,653Elmer#22,657

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

foggy6 variantscert6 variantscabs6 variantsHays6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list