diabetes mellitus
/ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/
"diabetes-mellitus" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“diabetes mellitus” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 17
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A medical disorder commonly called diabetes, characterized by varying or persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels), especially after eating. It is classified in two types, which are differ...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | diabetes mellitus |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ |
| Letters | 17 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “diabetes mellitus” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for diabetes mellitus is 17 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A medical disorder commonly called diabetes, characterized by varying or persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels), especially after eating. It is classified in two types, which are differ...".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for diabetes mellitus, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from New Latin diabetes mellitus (“diabetes of the sweet type”) (from the fact that in centuries past, physicians sometimes tasted a patient's urine to help diagnose the illness). The correct English form is diabetes mellitus, spelled D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S- -M-E-L-L-I-T-U-S.
Definition
- 1A medical disorder commonly called diabetes, characterized by varying or persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels), especially after eating. It is classified in two types, which are different etiologically but similar in clinical effects: type 1 and type 2.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin diabetes mellitus (“diabetes of the sweet type”) (from the fact that in centuries past, physicians sometimes tasted a patient's urine to help diagnose the illness).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “diabetes mellitus”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S- -M-E-L-L-I-T-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ (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
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.