detainee

/ˌdɪteɪˈniː/

//ˌdɪteɪˈniː// noun

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

"detainee" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“detainee” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,856. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,856
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who is detained, especially in custody or confinement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-detainee · detainee · English

detainee · rank #34,856 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,856
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH desertion

Nearest frequency peer: desertion (-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 “detainee”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “detainee” 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).

detainee vs detain
75% similar
detainee vs detailed
75% similar
detainee vs detained
88% similar

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

Key facts for detainee
PropertyValue
Headworddetainee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɪteɪˈniː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#34,856
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “detainee”

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).detaineelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “desertion” (#34,855), “DevOps” (#34,857), “dens” (#34,854). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “detainee” is #34,856. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around detainee (IPA /ˌdɪteɪˈniː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,856 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Someone who is detained, especially in custody or confinement.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for detainee, with forms such as "ddetainee", "deatinee", and "detaiene". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "detain", "detailed", "detained", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From detain + -ee. The correct English form is detainee, spelled D-E-T-A-I-N-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who is detained, especially in custody or confinement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In his statement, Miliband said the two flights had refuelled at Diego Garcia. Each one had a single detainee on board who did not leave the aircraft.
  2. Louis Louaillier, a U.S. citizen, journalist, and assemblymember, wrote in his local newspaper, The Louisiana Courier, that detainees should go to a civil judge...

Etymology

From detain + -ee.

This word in other languages

detenido(Español)détenu(Français)Häftling(Deutsch)detento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetainee
  • deatinee
  • detaiene
  • detaine
  • detainnee
  • detaniee
  • detianee
  • dettainee
  • dteainee
  • edtainee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddetainee1deatinee2detaiene2detaine1detainnee1detaniee2detianee2dettainee1
Edit distance from "detainee"

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 "detainee"?
"detainee" is spelled D-E-T-A-I-N-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɪteɪˈniː/.
What does "detainee" mean?
As a noun, "detainee" means: Someone who is detained, especially in custody or confinement.
What words are commonly confused with "detainee"?
"detainee" is commonly confused with "detain", "detailed", "detained". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "detainee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detainee" is /ˌdɪteɪˈniː/. 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 "detainee"?
From detain + -ee. 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 "detainee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crayfish#34,845erecting#34,873euphoric#34,875Falkland#34,883

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

deftly10 variantsdefraud10 variantsdowager10 variantsCzechs10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list