digitalis

/dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/

//dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“digitalis” is uncommon English (frequency #68,996 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,996
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any plant of the genus Digitalis (herbaceous plants of the Plantaginaceae family, including the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea).

Key facts for digitalis
PropertyValue
Headworddigitalis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#68,996
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “digitalis” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

digitalis is uncommon English at frequency #68,996 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

digitalis has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Modern Latin, from Latin digitālis (“of the fingers”) (named in reference to the German common name for the plant, Fingerhut (“thimble”)). Doublet of digital. The correct English form is digitalis, spelled D-I-G-I-T-A-L-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any plant of the genus Digitalis (herbaceous plants of the Plantaginaceae family, including the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea).
  2. 2
    A medical extract of Digitalis purpurea prescribed for heart failure etc.

Etymology

Modern Latin, from Latin digitālis (“of the fingers”) (named in reference to the German common name for the plant, Fingerhut (“thimble”)). Doublet of digital.

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); 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 "digitalis"?
"digitalis" is spelled D-I-G-I-T-A-L-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/.
What does "digitalis" mean?
As a noun, "digitalis" means: Any plant of the genus Digitalis (herbaceous plants of the Plantaginaceae family, including the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea).
How do you pronounce "digitalis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "digitalis" is /dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/. 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 "digitalis"?
Modern Latin, from Latin digitālis (“of the fingers”) (named in reference to the German common name for the plant, Fingerhut (“thimble”)). Doublet of digital. 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.

Using “digitalis”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-G-I-T-A-L-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list