Desdemona

/ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə/

//ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə// name

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

"desdemona" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Desdemona” is uncommon English (frequency #53,494 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,494
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Othello's wife in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, noted for being a victim of jealousy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desdemona · Desdemona · English

Desdemona · rank #53,494 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,494
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dere

Nearest frequency peer: dere (-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 “Desdemona”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Desdemona
PropertyValue
HeadwordDesdemona
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#53,494
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Desdemona” 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).Desdemonafalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “dere” (#53,493), “destin” (#53,495), “diorama” (#53,497). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Desdemona” is #53,494. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Desdemona is uncommon English at frequency #53,494 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Desdemona has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined based on Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-) + δαίμων (daímōn), hence "ill-fated, unfortunate". The correct English form is Desdemona, spelled D-E-S-D-E-M-O-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Othello's wife in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, noted for being a victim of jealousy.
  2. 2
    An inner moon of the planet Uranus.
  3. 3
    666 Desdemona, a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1908.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As I looked out of the corner of my eye at this savagely picturesque fellow, wondering where was his Desdemona, a dainty and remarkably pretty piece of femininity entered the car, advanced to our table and sat herself beside Othello.
  2. On the first of these days' amusements ( I know not what year ) Frank took offence at some attentions paid his Desdemona, and walked away next morning to London in wrath.

Etymology

Coined based on Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-) + δαίμων (daímōn), hence "ill-fated, unfortunate".

Antonyms

Eudaimonia

This word in other languages

Desdémone(Français)

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 "Desdemona"?
"Desdemona" is spelled D-E-S-D-E-M-O-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə/.
What does "Desdemona" mean?
As a proper noun, "Desdemona" means: Othello's wife in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, noted for being a victim of jealousy.
How do you pronounce "Desdemona"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Desdemona" is /ˌdɛzdəˈmoʊnə/. 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 "Desdemona"?
Coined based on Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-) + δαίμων (daímōn), hence "ill-fated, unfortunate". 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 "Desdemona", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

delimited#53,489Dolomites#53,504dramatics#53,506Eastleigh#53,512

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list