domain

/dəʊˈmeɪn/

//dəʊˈmeɪn// noun

"domain" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“domain” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,230 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,230
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A geographic area owned or controlled by a single person or organization.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

domain vs drain
67% similar
domain vs Doran
50% similar
domain vs domino
67% similar

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

Key facts for domain
PropertyValue
Headworddomain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dəʊˈmeɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,230
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “domain” 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). domain lands here:

#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 domain is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dəʊˈmeɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,230 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for domain, with forms such as "ddomain", "dmoain", and "doamin". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "drain", "Doran", "domino", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dem- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dṓmder. Proto-Italic *domanos Latin dominus Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin dominiumder. Old French demainebor. Mid… The correct English form is domain, spelled D-O-M-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A geographic area owned or controlled by a single person or organization.
  2. 2
    A field or sphere of activity, influence or expertise.
  3. 3
    A group of related items, topics, or subjects.
  4. 4
    The set of input (argument) values for which a function is defined.
  5. 5
    The set of input (argument) values for which a function is defined.
  6. 6
    A ring with no zero divisors; that is, in which no product of nonzero elements is zero.
  7. 7
    An open and connected set in some topology. For example, the interval (0,1) as a subset of the real numbers.
  8. 8
    Any DNS domain name, particularly one which has been delegated and has become representative of the delegated domain name and its subdomains.
  9. 9
    A collection of DNS or DNS-like domain names consisting of a delegated domain name and all its subdomains.
  10. 10
    A collection of information having to do with a domain, the computers named in the domain, and the network on which the computers named in the domain reside.
  11. 11
    The collection of computers identified by a domain's domain names.
  12. 12
    A small region of a magnetic material with a consistent magnetization direction.
  13. 13
    Such a region used as a data storage element in a bubble memory.
  14. 14
    A form of technical metadata that represent the type of a data item, its characteristics, name, and usage.
  15. 15
    The highest rank in the classification of organisms, above kingdom; in the three-domain system, one of the taxa Bacteria, Archaea, or Eukaryota.
  16. 16
    A folded section of a protein molecule that has a discrete function; the equivalent section of a chromosome.
  17. 17
    An area of more or less uniform mineralization.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dem- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dṓmder. Proto-Italic *domanos Latin dominus Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin dominiumder. Old French demainebor. Middle English demayne English domain From Middle English demayne, demain (“rule”), from Old French demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine (“power”), (French domaine), from Latin dominium (“property, right of ownership”), from dominus (“master, proprietor, owner”). Doublet of demesne and dominium, and closely related to dominion and domino. See also dame, and compare demain, danger, dungeon.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddomain,dmoain,doamin,domainn,domani,domian,dommain,odmain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddomain1dmoain2doamin2domainn1domani2domian2dommain1odmain2
Edit distance from "domain"

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 "domain"?
"domain" is spelled D-O-M-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dəʊˈmeɪn/.
What does "domain" mean?
As a noun, "domain" means: A geographic area owned or controlled by a single person or organization.
What words are commonly confused with "domain"?
"domain" is commonly confused with "drain", "Doran", "domino". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "domain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "domain" is /dəʊˈmeɪn/. 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 "domain"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dem- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dṓmder. Proto-Italic *domanos Latin dominus Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin dominiumder. Old French demai... 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 “domain”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-O-M-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dəʊˈmeɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “drain” - see the side-by-side comparison. domain vs drain
  • 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.

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

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