double standard

noun

"double-standard" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“double standard” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The situation where two groups or individuals are the same in pertinent ways, but one is condemned for it while the other is excused.

Corpus desk

Index EN-double-standard · double standard · English

double standard · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 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.

Key facts for double standard
PropertyValue
Headworddouble standard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “double standard” in English

double standardfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

double standard is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

double standard doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is double standard, spelled D-O-U-B-L-E- -S-T-A-N-D-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The situation where two groups or individuals are the same in pertinent ways, but one is condemned for it while the other is excused.
  2. 2
    A pair of monetary values, i.e. a gold standard and a silver standard, both of which are legal tender.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For example, when discussing relationships, she admitted that she believed in a "reverse double standard".

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "double standard"?
"double standard" is spelled D-O-U-B-L-E- -S-T-A-N-D-A-R-D.
What does "double standard" mean?
As a noun, "double standard" means: The situation where two groups or individuals are the same in pertinent ways, but one is condemned for it while the other is excused.
What language does "double standard" come from?
"double standard" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list