distressed

/dɪˈstɹɛst/

//dɪˈstɹɛst// adj

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

"distressed" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“distressed” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,501. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,501
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Anxious or uneasy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-distressed · distressed · English

distressed · rank #13,501 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,501
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disposable

Nearest frequency peer: disposable (-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 “distressed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “distressed” 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).

distressed vs distress
80% similar

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

Key facts for distressed
PropertyValue
Headworddistressed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈstɹɛst/
Letters10
Frequency rank#13,501
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “distressed”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).distressedlands 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 “disposable” (#13,500), “Dover” (#13,502), “disgusted” (#13,499). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “distressed” is #13,501. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around distressed (IPA /dɪˈstɹɛst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,501 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for distressed, with forms such as "ddistressed", "disrtessed", and "disstressed". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "distress", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is distressed, spelled D-I-S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anxious or uneasy.
  2. 2
    Damaged.
  3. 3
    Offered for sale after foreclosure.
  4. 4
    Faded or abused in order to appear old, or antique.
  5. 5
    Experiencing financial or operational distress, default, or bankruptcy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'm distressed that sexy John hasn't answered my calls. I hope nothing bad happened to him on the way here.
  2. Oh that thou wer't not, poore distreſſed ſoule.

This word in other languages

temeroso(Español)accablé(Français)beunruhigt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddistressed
  • disrtessed
  • disstressed
  • disterssed
  • distresed
  • distresesd
  • distressde
  • distressedd
  • distrressed
  • distrsesed
  • disttressed
  • ditsressed
  • dsitressed
  • idstressed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddistressed1disrtessed2disstressed1disterssed2distresed1distresesd2distressde2distressedd1
Edit distance from "distressed"

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 "distressed"?
"distressed" is spelled D-I-S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈstɹɛst/.
What does "distressed" mean?
As an adjective, "distressed" means: Anxious or uneasy.
What words are commonly confused with "distressed"?
"distressed" is commonly confused with "distress". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "distressed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "distressed" is /dɪˈstɹɛst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "distressed" come from?
"distressed" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "distressed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disposable#13,500discourage#13,498concession#13,489combustion#13,487

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

disgusted14 variantsdeserving14 variantscartridge14 variantsindicative14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list