detrimental

/ˌdɛtɹɪˈmɛntəl/

//ˌdɛtɹɪˈmɛntəl// adj

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

"detrimental" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“detrimental” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,901. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,901
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing damage or harm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-detrimental · detrimental · English

detrimental · rank #13,901 · 17 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,901
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH desperation

Nearest frequency peer: desperation (-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 “detrimental”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “detrimental” 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).

detrimental vs detriment
82% similar

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

Key facts for detrimental
PropertyValue
Headworddetrimental
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌdɛtɹɪˈmɛntəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#13,901
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “detrimental”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “desperation” (#13,900), “diarrhea” (#13,902), “deity” (#13,899). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “detrimental” is #13,901. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around detrimental (IPA /ˌdɛtɹɪˈmɛntəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,901 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Causing damage or harm.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for detrimental, with forms such as "ddetrimental", "dertimental", and "detirmental". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "detriment", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin *dētrīmentālis, from Latin dētrīmentum (“harm”), from dēterō (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terō (“to rub or grab”). The correct English form is detrimental, spelled D-E-T-R-I-M-E-N-T-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing damage or harm.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Smoking tobacco can be detrimental to your health.
  2. "The fact is," continued he, "Lady Anne fears that my visits here may prove detrimental to what she considers your best interests. I thought myself an old, safe friend; but, as that cannot be explained to every body, she fears that I may keep off other and more eligible lovers."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin *dētrīmentālis, from Latin dētrīmentum (“harm”), from dēterō (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terō (“to rub or grab”).

This word in other languages

dañino(Español)nuisible(Français)schädlich(Deutsch)prejudicial(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetrimental
  • dertimental
  • detirmental
  • detriemntal
  • detrimenatl
  • detrimenntal
  • detrimentall
  • detrimentla
  • detrimenttal
  • detrimetnal
  • detrimmental
  • detrimnetal
  • detrmiental
  • detrrimental
  • dettrimental
  • dterimental
  • edtrimental

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddetrimental1dertimental2detirmental2detriemntal2detrimenatl2detrimenntal1detrimentall1detrimentla2
Edit distance from "detrimental"

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 "detrimental"?
"detrimental" is spelled D-E-T-R-I-M-E-N-T-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛtɹɪˈmɛntəl/.
What does "detrimental" mean?
As an adjective, "detrimental" means: Causing damage or harm.
What words are commonly confused with "detrimental"?
"detrimental" is commonly confused with "detriment". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "detrimental"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detrimental" is /ˌdɛtɹɪˈmɛntəl/. 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 "detrimental"?
From Medieval Latin *dētrīmentālis, from Latin dētrīmentum (“harm”), from dēterō (“to rub off, wear”), from dē- (“down, away”) + terō (“to rub or grab”). 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 "detrimental", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

desperation#13,900convertible#13,891entitlement#13,912bureaucracy#13,877

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

compassionate17 variantsscratching17 variantspsychiatry17 variantsimplication17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list