# detail

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈdiː.teɪl/ · frequency rank #2,621

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

## 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)).

## Easily confused with
- **devil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/detail-vs-devil)
- **detain** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/detail-vs-detain)
- **details** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/detail-vs-details)
- **detailed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/detail-vs-detailed)
- **deal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-detail)
- **decal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decal-vs-detail)
- **Desai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desai-vs-detail)
- **dental** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dental-vs-detail)
- **derail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/derail-vs-detail)
- **detach** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/detach-vs-detail)
- **DePaul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/depaul-vs-detail)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ddetail`, `deatil`, `detaill`, `detali`, `detial`, `dettail`, `dteail`, `edtail`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/detail