detriment

/ˈdɛtɹɪmənt/

//ˈdɛtɹɪmənt// noun

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

"detriment" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“detriment” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,607. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,607
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Harm, hurt, damage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-detriment · detriment · English

detriment · rank #20,607 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,607
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dex

Nearest frequency peer: dex (+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 “detriment”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “detriment” 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).

detriment vs detrimental
82% similar

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

Key facts for detriment
PropertyValue
Headworddetriment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛtɹɪmənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,607
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “detriment”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).detrimentlands 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 “dex” (#20,608), “dehydrated” (#20,605), “DHS” (#20,609). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “detriment” is #20,607. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around detriment (IPA /ˈdɛtɹɪmənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,607 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for detriment, with forms such as "ddetriment", "dertiment", and "detirment". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "detrimental", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum (“loss, damage, literally a rubbing off”), from dēterere (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub”). Detriment is related to the word detritus, and built on similar foundations to the… The correct English form is detriment, spelled D-E-T-R-I-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Harm, hurt, damage.
  2. 2
    A charge made to students and barristers for incidental repairs of the rooms they occupy.
  3. 3
    The position or state of a planet when it is in the sign opposite its house, considered to weaken it.
  4. 4
    The position or state of being eclipsed, entirely dark (sable).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “But marriage in secret, Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch — a fatal secret. I receive money from you, and I'm suddenly asked the question, 'What's that money for?' My hands are tied; I cannot answer to the detriment of my sister, to the detriment of the family honour.”
  2. "Would it be fair to say that when it came to making trouble, you'd make up for what you didn't absolutely know . . . and to our detriment?"

Etymology

From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum (“loss, damage, literally a rubbing off”), from dēterere (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub”). Detriment is related to the word detritus, and built on similar foundations to the word impediment.

Synonyms

harmhurtillfaredamageexpensedisadvantage

Antonyms

benefit

This word in other languages

detrimento(Español)détriment(Français)Schaden(Deutsch)detrimento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetriment
  • dertiment
  • detirment
  • detriemnt
  • detrimennt
  • detrimentt
  • detrimetn
  • detrimment
  • detrimnet
  • detrmient
  • detrriment
  • dettriment
  • dteriment
  • edtriment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddetriment1dertiment2detirment2detriemnt2detrimennt1detrimentt1detrimetn2detrimment1
Edit distance from "detriment"

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 "detriment"?
"detriment" is spelled D-E-T-R-I-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛtɹɪmənt/.
What does "detriment" mean?
As a noun, "detriment" means: Harm, hurt, damage.
What words are commonly confused with "detriment"?
"detriment" is commonly confused with "detrimental". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "detriment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detriment" is /ˈdɛtɹɪmənt/. 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 "detriment"?
From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum (“loss, damage, literally a rubbing off”), from dēterere (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub”). Detriment is related to the word detritus, and built on similar foundati... 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 "detriment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disparate#20,614distilled#20,616eternally#20,628cartilage#20,582

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Chattanooga14 variantsforcefully14 variantsbandwagon14 variantsgrounding14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list