detainment

/dɪˈteɪn.mənt/

//dɪˈteɪn.mənt// noun

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

"detainment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“detainment” is uncommon English (frequency #62,835 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,835
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The condition of being detained; detention.

Key facts for detainment
PropertyValue
Headworddetainment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈteɪn.mənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#62,835
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “detainment” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). detainment lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

detainment is uncommon English at frequency #62,835 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪˈteɪn.mənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The condition of being detained; detention.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for detainment in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

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

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of being detained; detention.

Etymology

From detain + -ment.

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 "detainment"?
"detainment" is spelled D-E-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈteɪn.mənt/.
What does "detainment" mean?
As a noun, "detainment" means: The condition of being detained; detention.
How do you pronounce "detainment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detainment" is /dɪˈteɪn.mənt/. 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 "detainment"?
From detain + -ment. 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.

Using “detainment”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪˈteɪn.mənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list