district

Name: district, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdɪstɹɪkt/

//ˈdɪstɹɪkt// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“district” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #967 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#967
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 13
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An administrative division of an area.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

district vs distrust

75% similar

district vs districts

89% similar

district vs distinct

75% similar

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

Key facts for district
Property	Value
Headword	district
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈdɪstɹɪkt/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#967
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “district” 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). district lands here:

#967

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for district is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪstɹɪkt/. Corpus data places it at rank #967 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 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for district, with forms such as "ddistrict", "disrtict", and "disstrict". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "distrust", "districts", "distinct", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French district, from Medieval Latin districtus (“a district within which the lord may distrain, also jurisdiction”), from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere (“to draw asunder, compel, distrain”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringere (“to draw… The correct English form is district, spelled D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T.

Definition

1
An administrative division of an area.
2
An area or region marked by some distinguishing feature.
3
An administrative division of a county without the status of a borough.
4
A specific, usually named area of the coalface where particular seams are worked.

Etymology

From French district, from Medieval Latin districtus (“a district within which the lord may distrain, also jurisdiction”), from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere (“to draw asunder, compel, distrain”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringere (“to draw tight, strain”). Doublet of Detroit.

This word in other languages

distrito(Español)district(Français)Bezirk(Deutsch)distrito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddistrict,disrtict,disstrict,distirct,distrcit,districct,districtt,distritc,distrrict,disttrict,ditsrict,dsitrict,idstrict

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of district - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "district"

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 "district"?

"district" is spelled D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪstɹɪkt/.

What does "district" mean?

As a noun, "district" means: An administrative division of an area.

What words are commonly confused with "district"?

"district" is commonly confused with "distrust", "districts", "distinct". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "district"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "district" is /ˈdɪstɹɪkt/. 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 "district"?

From French district, from Medieval Latin districtus (“a district within which the lord may distrain, also jurisdiction”), from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere (“to draw asunder, compel, distrain”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringere... 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 “district”

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

The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈdɪstɹɪkt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “distrust” - see the side-by-side comparison. district vs distrust
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.