detained
/dɪˈteɪnd/
"detained" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“detained” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,456 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #9,456
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 9
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Delayed or held back; kept from proceeding.
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 | detained |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /dɪˈteɪnd/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #9,456 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “detained” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for detained is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈteɪnd/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,456 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for detained, with forms such as "ddetained", "deatined", and "detaiend". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "drained", "detainee", "detain", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is detained, spelled D-E-T-A-I-N-E-D.
Definition
- 1Delayed or held back; kept from proceeding.
- 2Held in custody or confinement.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddetained,deatined,detaiend,detainde,detainedd,detainned,detanied,detianed,dettained,dteained,edtained
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of detained - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "detained"?
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Using “detained”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-T-A-I-N-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈteɪnd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “drained” - see the side-by-side comparison. detained vs drained
- 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.