digitalis

/dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/

//dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“digitalis” is uncommon English (frequency #68,996 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,996
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any plant of the genus Digitalis (herbaceous plants of the Plantaginaceae family, including the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea).

Corpus desk

Index EN-digitalis · digitalis · English

digitalis · rank #68,996 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,996
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Diez

Nearest frequency peer: Diez (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “digitalis”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “digitalis” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for digitalis
PropertyValue
Headworddigitalis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#68,996
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “digitalis” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Diez” (#68,995), “dingus” (#68,998), “Dickenson” (#68,993). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “digitalis” is #68,996. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

digitalis is uncommon English at frequency #68,996 among 3,470 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 11. Delphiniums and digitalises.
  2. At the Medico-Botanical Society on Tuesday, Dr. Morries, made some some observations on opium, digitales, conium, and hyoscyamus, and exhibited specimens of oils obtained from the latter plants.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "digitalis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list