downwind
/ˌdaʊnˈwɪnd/
"downwind" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“downwind” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,611 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.
- #43,611
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - in the same direction as the wind is blowing
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | downwind |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˌdaʊnˈwɪnd/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #43,611 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “downwind” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for downwind is 8 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌdaʊnˈwɪnd/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,611 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 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for downwind, with forms such as "ddownwind", "donwwind", and "downiwnd". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "downing", "downward", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From down- + wind. The correct English form is downwind, spelled D-O-W-N-W-I-N-D.
Definition
- 1in the same direction as the wind is blowing
- 2positioned relative to something in such a way that it can be smelled in the wind
- 3in the direction opposite that of landing in a traffic pattern
Etymology
From down- + wind.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddownwind,donwwind,downiwnd,downnwind,downwidn,downwindd,downwinnd,downwnid,downwwind,dowwnind,dowwnwind,dwonwind,odwnwind
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of downwind - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "downwind"?
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Using “downwind”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-O-W-N-W-I-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌdaʊnˈwɪnd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “downing” - see the side-by-side comparison. downwind vs downing
- 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.