description
/dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/
"description" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“description” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,894 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #1,894
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | description |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #1,894 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “description” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for description is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,894 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for description, with forms such as "ddescription", "decsription", and "desccription". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "descriptor", "descriptive", "decryption", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English descripcioun, from Old French description and its etymon, Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“to describe”). Equivalent to describe + -tion. The correct English form is description, spelled D-E-S-C-R-I-P-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.
- 2The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs.
- 3A set of characteristics by which someone or something can be recognized.
- 4A scientific documentation of a taxon for the purpose of introducing it to science.
- 5The act or practice of recording and describing actual language usage in a given speech community, as opposed to prescription, i.e. laying down norms of language usage.
- 6A descriptive linguistic survey.
Etymology
From Middle English descripcioun, from Old French description and its etymon, Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“to describe”). Equivalent to describe + -tion.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddescription,decsription,desccription,descirption,descripiton,descripption,descripsion,descriptino,descriptionn,descriptoin,descripttion,descritpion,descrpition,descrription,desrciption,desscription,dsecription,edscription
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of description - 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
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Using “description”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-S-C-R-I-P-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “descriptor” - see the side-by-side comparison. description vs descriptor
- 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.