duodenum

/ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm/

//ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“duodenum” is uncommon English (frequency #68,168 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,168
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach and extending to the jejunum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-duodenum · duodenum · English

duodenum · rank #68,168 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,168
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dushanbe

Nearest frequency peer: Dushanbe (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “duodenum”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “duodenum” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for duodenum
PropertyValue
Headwordduodenum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#68,168
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “duodenum” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).duodenumfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Dushanbe” (#68,170), “dusts” (#68,171), “Drescher” (#68,164). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “duodenum” is #68,168. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

duodenum is uncommon English at frequency #68,168 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach and extending to the jejunum.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for duodenum, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin duodēnum digitōrum (“space of twelve digits”) in reference to its length, from duodēnī (“twelve each”) + digitōrum, genitive plural of digitus (“finger; toe; digit”). The correct English form is duodenum, spelled D-U-O-D-E-N-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach and extending to the jejunum.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. From the Stomacke to the very Fundament, are produced the Guts or Inteſtina, which ſerue a little to alter and diſtribute the Chilus, and convey away the excrements. They are divided into ſmall and great, by reason of their ſite and ſubſtance, ſlender or thicker. The ſlender is Duodenum or whole gut, which is next to the ſtomacke, ſome twelue inches long…
  2. The Inteſtina tenuia were burnt in many places, but not quite through any where, excepting two or three. […] The length of that which is commonly call'd the Duodenum, was about 4½ Foot.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin duodēnum digitōrum (“space of twelve digits”) in reference to its length, from duodēnī (“twelve each”) + digitōrum, genitive plural of digitus (“finger; toe; digit”).

This word in other languages

duodeno(Español)duodénum(Français)Duodenum(Deutsch)duodeno(Português)

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 "duodenum"?
"duodenum" is spelled D-U-O-D-E-N-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm/.
What does "duodenum" mean?
As a noun, "duodenum" means: The first part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach and extending to the jejunum.
How do you pronounce "duodenum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duodenum" is /ˌdjuːə(ʊ)ˈdiːnəm/. 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 "duodenum"?
From Medieval Latin duodēnum digitōrum (“space of twelve digits”) in reference to its length, from duodēnī (“twelve each”) + digitōrum, genitive plural of digitus (“finger; toe; digit”). 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 "duodenum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Dushanbe#68,170Drescher#68,164dorsally#68,160Eckstein#68,179

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list