detour

/ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/

//ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“detour” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,351. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,351
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A diversion or deviation from one's original route.

Corpus desk

Index EN-detour · detour · English

detour · rank #22,351 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,351
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH detergent

Nearest frequency peer: detergent (-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 “detour”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “detour” 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).

detour vs dour
67% similar
detour vs detox
67% similar
detour vs devout
67% similar

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

Key facts for detour
PropertyValue
Headworddetour
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,351
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “detour”

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).detourlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “detergent” (#22,350), “DG” (#22,352), “deranged” (#22,349). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “detour” is #22,351. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around detour (IPA /ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,351 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for detour, with forms such as "ddetour", "deotur", and "detoru". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "dour", "detox", "devout", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French détour, from détourner (“turn away”). The correct English form is detour, spelled D-E-T-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A diversion or deviation from one's original route.
  2. 2
    An temporary alternative route available to motorists away from the usual route due to a closure for repairs, dealing with an accident, or some event rendering the usual route unusable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On the third day I made a detour westward to avoid the country of the Band-lu, as I did not care to be detained by a meeting with To-jo.
  2. Of course the Johnston swings around to engage the entire flotilla, and, despite taking several more hits, Johnston successfully forces away the first two ships, which leads to the entire squadron taking a detour to avoid the single pugnacious ship.

Etymology

Borrowed from French détour, from détourner (“turn away”).

This word in other languages

desvío(Español)détour(Français)Umleitung(Deutsch)desvio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetour
  • deotur
  • detoru
  • detourr
  • dettour
  • detuor
  • dteour
  • edtour

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddetour1deotur2detoru2detourr1dettour1detuor2dteour2edtour2
Edit distance from "detour"

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 "detour"?
"detour" is spelled D-E-T-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/.
What does "detour" mean?
As a noun, "detour" means: A diversion or deviation from one's original route.
What words are commonly confused with "detour"?
"detour" is commonly confused with "dour", "detox", "devout". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "detour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detour" is /ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/. 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 "detour"?
Borrowed from French détour, from détourner (“turn away”). 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 "detour", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Dutton#22,361equate#22,364faiths#22,371fondly#22,381

Similar misspelling depth

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

flaps8 variantsflask8 variantsBundy8 variantsbubbly8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list