different
/ˈdɪ.fə.ɹənt/
"different" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“different” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #232 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #232
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not the same; exhibiting a difference.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | different |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈdɪ.fə.ɹənt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #232 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “different” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for different is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪ.fə.ɹənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #232 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for different, with forms such as "ddifferent", "dfiferent", and "difefrent". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "differing", "differently", "difference", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English different, from Old French different, from Latin differēns, present active participle of differō (“to differ”). See also differ. Supplanted native Old English ungelic (whence modern English unalike). The correct English form is different, spelled D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1Not the same; exhibiting a difference.
- 2Various, assorted, diverse.
- 3Distinct, separate; used for emphasis after numbers and other determiners of quantity.
- 4Unlike most others; unusual.
Etymology
From Middle English different, from Old French different, from Latin differēns, present active participle of differō (“to differ”). See also differ. Supplanted native Old English ungelic (whence modern English unalike).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddifferent,dfiferent,difefrent,diferent,diffeernt,differennt,differentt,differetn,differnet,differrent,diffreent,idfferent
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of different - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “different”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɪ.fə.ɹənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “differing” - see the side-by-side comparison. different vs differing
- 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.