downgrade
/ˈdaʊnˌɡɹeɪd/
"downgrade" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“downgrade” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,495 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,495
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A reduction of a rating, as a financial or credit rating.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | downgrade |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdaʊnˌɡɹeɪd/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #21,495 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “downgrade” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for downgrade is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdaʊnˌɡɹeɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,495 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for downgrade, with forms such as "ddowngrade", "donwgrade", and "dowgnrade". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From down- + grade. The correct English form is downgrade, spelled D-O-W-N-G-R-A-D-E.
Definition
- 1A reduction of a rating, as a financial or credit rating.
- 2A downhill gradient on a road or railway.
- 3A reduction in quality; a descent towards an inferior state.
Etymology
From down- + grade.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddowngrade,donwgrade,dowgnrade,downgarde,downggrade,downgradde,downgraed,downgrdae,downgrrade,downngrade,downrgade,dowwngrade,dwongrade,odwngrade
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of downgrade - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "downgrade"?
What does "downgrade" mean?
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Using “downgrade”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-O-W-N-G-R-A-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdaʊnˌɡɹeɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.