diagnose

/ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz/

//ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz// verb

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

"diagnose" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“diagnose” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,889. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,889
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To determine which disease is causing a sick person's signs and symptoms; to find the diagnosis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-diagnose · diagnose · English

diagnose · rank #16,889 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,889
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Desmond

Nearest frequency peer: Desmond (-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 “diagnose”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “diagnose” 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).

diagnose vs diagnosis
78% similar
diagnose vs diagnoses
89% similar

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

Key facts for diagnose
PropertyValue
Headworddiagnose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#16,889
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “diagnose”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).diagnoselands 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 “Desmond” (#16,888), “directorate” (#16,890), “depict” (#16,887). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “diagnose” is #16,889. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around diagnose (IPA /ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,889 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for diagnose, with forms such as "daignose", "ddiagnose", and "diaggnose". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "diagnosis", "diagnoses", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from diagnosis. Compare also sclerose (verb). The correct English form is diagnose, spelled D-I-A-G-N-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To determine which disease is causing a sick person's signs and symptoms; to find the diagnosis.
  2. 2
    To determine the cause of a problem.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But in the early days of the scheme the new machines created some problems for the fitters, who found them over-complex and their faults hard to diagnose after many years' experience of small, simple steam locomotives.
  2. Mechanics use this extremely portable tool to diagnose engine faults, clear fault codes, and export data.

Etymology

Back-formation from diagnosis. Compare also sclerose (verb).

This word in other languages

diagnosticar(Español)diagnostiquer(Français)diagnostizieren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • daignose
  • ddiagnose
  • diaggnose
  • diagnnose
  • diagnoes
  • diagnosse
  • diagnsoe
  • diagonse
  • diangose
  • diganose
  • idagnose

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

daignose2ddiagnose1diaggnose1diagnnose1diagnoes2diagnosse1diagnsoe2diagonse2
Edit distance from "diagnose"

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 "diagnose"?
"diagnose" is spelled D-I-A-G-N-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz/.
What does "diagnose" mean?
As a verb, "diagnose" means: To determine which disease is causing a sick person's signs and symptoms; to find the diagnosis.
What words are commonly confused with "diagnose"?
"diagnose" is commonly confused with "diagnosis", "diagnoses". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "diagnose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diagnose" is /ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz/. 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 "diagnose"?
Back-formation from diagnosis. Compare also sclerose (verb). 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 "diagnose", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cucumber#16,882Emmanuel#16,899coronary#16,876eviction#16,906

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Desmond11 variantsdormant11 variantsdrifted11 variantsBeatrice11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list