domino effect
"domino-effect" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“domino effect” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The situation in which one event sets off a chain of additional events.
Corpus desk
Index EN-domino-effect · domino effect · English
domino effect · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 13 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "D" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | domino effect |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “domino effect” in English
Rare enough to double-check
domino effect is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for domino effect in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: An allusion to a row of dominoes in which the fall of one leads to a cascade of falling pieces. The correct English form is domino effect, spelled D-O-M-I-N-O- -E-F-F-E-C-T.
Definition
- 1The situation in which one event sets off a chain of additional events.
- 2The theory that, if South Vietnam became communist, it would be followed by Cambodia, Laos, additional Southeast Asian countries, other Asian countries, and likely even elsewhere.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how domino effect appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
While the move has, for now, calmed fears of a repeat of a 2008-style domino effect, the merger has left Switzerland with a new megabank on Paradeplatz square.
Etymology
An allusion to a row of dominoes in which the fall of one leads to a cascade of falling pieces.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.