downfall

/ˈdaʊnfɔːl/

//ˈdaʊnfɔːl// noun

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

"downfall" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“downfall” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,109
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-downfall · downfall · English

downfall · rank #14,109 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,109
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dolly

Nearest frequency peer: dolly (-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 “downfall”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “downfall” 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).

downfall vs downhill
75% similar

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

Key facts for downfall
PropertyValue
Headworddownfall
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdaʊnfɔːl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,109
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “downfall”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).downfalllands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dolly” (#14,108), “downside” (#14,110), “dipped” (#14,107). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “downfall” is #14,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around downfall (IPA /ˈdaʊnfɔːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,109 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for downfall, with forms such as "ddownfall", "donwfall", and "dowfnall". 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, "downhill", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From down- + fall. In this spelling, from 16th century; spelled as two words from 13th century. The correct English form is downfall, spelled D-O-W-N-F-A-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
  2. 2
    The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
  3. 3
    An act of falling down.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
  2. The Black Cats contributed to their own downfall for the only goal when Titus Bramble, making his first appearance since Boxing Day, and Michael Turner, let Phil Jones' cross bounce across the six-yard box as [Wayne] Rooney tucked in at the back post.

Etymology

From down- + fall. In this spelling, from 16th century; spelled as two words from 13th century.

This word in other languages

ocaso(Español)chute(Français)Niedergang(Deutsch)ruína(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddownfall
  • donwfall
  • dowfnall
  • downafll
  • downfal
  • downffall
  • downflal
  • downnfall
  • dowwnfall
  • dwonfall
  • odwnfall

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddownfall1donwfall2dowfnall2downafll2downfal1downffall1downflal2downnfall1
Edit distance from "downfall"

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 "downfall"?
"downfall" is spelled D-O-W-N-F-A-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdaʊnfɔːl/.
What does "downfall" mean?
As a noun, "downfall" means: A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
What words are commonly confused with "downfall"?
"downfall" is commonly confused with "downhill". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "downfall"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "downfall" is /ˈdaʊnfɔːl/. 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 "downfall"?
From down- + fall. In this spelling, from 16th century; spelled as two words from 13th century. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "downfall", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

downside#14,110deferred#14,103dealings#14,102energies#14,116

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

fugitive11 variantscatcher11 variantshurdles11 variantsBabylon11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list