detail

/ˈdiː.teɪl/

//ˈdiː.teɪl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“detail” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,621. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,621
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A part small enough to escape casual notice.

Corpus desk

Index EN-detail · detail · English

detail · rank #2,621 · 8 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,621
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH competitive

Nearest frequency peer: competitive (-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 “detail”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “detail” 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).

detail vs devil
67% similar
detail vs detain
83% similar
detail vs details
86% similar

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

Key facts for detail
PropertyValue
Headworddetail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdiː.teɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,621
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “detail”

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).detaillands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “competitive” (#2,620), “diet” (#2,622), “Clinton” (#2,619). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “detail” is #2,621. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around detail (IPA /ˈdiː.teɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,621 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for detail, with forms such as "ddetail", "deatil", and "detaill". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "devil", "detain", "details", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)). The correct English form is detail, spelled D-E-T-A-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A part small enough to escape casual notice.
  2. 2
    A profusion of details.
  3. 3
    The small parts that can escape casual notice.
  4. 4
    A part considered trivial enough to ignore.
  5. 5
    A person's name, address and other personal information.
  6. 6
    A temporary unit or assignment.
  7. 7
    An individual feature, fact, or other item, considered separately from the whole of which it is a part.
  8. 8
    A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars.
  9. 9
    A selected portion of a painting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Note this fine detail in the lower left corner.
  2. We missed several important details in the contract.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)).

This word in other languages

detalle(Español)détail(Français)Detail(Deutsch)detalhe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetail
  • deatil
  • detaill
  • detali
  • detial
  • dettail
  • dteail
  • edtail

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of detail - 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.

ddetail1deatil2detaill1detali2detial2dettail1dteail2edtail2
Edit distance from "detail"

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 "detail"?
"detail" is spelled D-E-T-A-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdiː.teɪl/.
What does "detail" mean?
As a noun, "detail" means: A part small enough to escape casual notice.
What words are commonly confused with "detail"?
"detail" is commonly confused with "devil", "detain", "details". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "detail"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detail" is /ˈdiː.teɪl/. 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 "detail"?
Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)). 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 "detail", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cheese#2,617harder#2,626bottle#2,613assume#2,611

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

bunch8 variantsshift8 variantstight8 variantsunlike8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list