dysentery

/ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i/

//ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i// noun

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

"dysentery" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dysentery” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,969. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,969
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines, especially the colon (large intestine), accompanied by pus (white blood cells) in the feces, fever, pain in the abdomen, high-volume diarr...

Corpus desk

Index EN-dysentery · dysentery · English

dysentery · rank #36,969 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,969
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dunks

Nearest frequency peer: dunks (-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 “dysentery”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dysentery” 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
Key facts for dysentery
PropertyValue
Headworddysentery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i/
Letters9
Frequency rank#36,969
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dysentery”

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).dysenterylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “dunks” (#36,968), “EAS” (#36,970), “ecologically” (#36,971). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dysentery” is #36,969. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around dysentery (IPA /ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,969 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for dysentery, with forms such as "ddysentery", "dsyentery", and "dyesntery". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dissenterie, from Old French dissenterie, from Latin dysenteria, from Ancient Greek δυσεντερία (dusentería), from δυσ- (dus-, “bad”) + ἔντερα (éntera, “bowels”). The correct English form is dysentery, spelled D-Y-S-E-N-T-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines, especially the colon (large intestine), accompanied by pus (white blood cells) in the feces, fever, pain in the abdomen, high-volume diarrhea, and possible blood in the feces.
  2. 2
    Diarrhea.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. We ate, we drank, and we were merry / and we got typhoid and dysentery.

Etymology

From Middle English dissenterie, from Old French dissenterie, from Latin dysenteria, from Ancient Greek δυσεντερία (dusentería), from δυσ- (dus-, “bad”) + ἔντερα (éntera, “bowels”).

This word in other languages

disentería(Español)dysenterie(Français)Dysenterie(Deutsch)disenteria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddysentery
  • dsyentery
  • dyesntery
  • dysenetry
  • dysenntery
  • dysenterry
  • dysenteryy
  • dysenteyr
  • dysentrey
  • dysenttery
  • dysetnery
  • dysnetery
  • dyssentery
  • dyysentery
  • ydsentery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dysentery - 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.

ddysentery1dsyentery2dyesntery2dysenetry2dysenntery1dysenterry1dysenteryy1dysenteyr2
Edit distance from "dysentery"

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 "dysentery"?
"dysentery" is spelled D-Y-S-E-N-T-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i/.
What does "dysentery" mean?
As a noun, "dysentery" means: A disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines, especially the colon (large intestine), accompanied by pus (white blood cells) in the feces, fever, pain in the abdomen, high-volume diarr...
What are common misspellings of "dysentery"?
Common misspellings include "ddysentery", "dsyentery", "dyesntery", "dysenetry", "dysenntery". The correct spelling is "dysentery".
How do you pronounce "dysentery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dysentery" is /ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i/. 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 "dysentery"?
From Middle English dissenterie, from Old French dissenterie, from Latin dysenteria, from Ancient Greek δυσεντερία (dusentería), from δυσ- (dus-, “bad”) + ἔντερα (éntera, “bowels”). 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 "dysentery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dramatist#36,964dollhouse#36,961Demetrius#36,953genocidal#36,994

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

executable15 variantscompatriot15 variantshelplessly15 variantsblindfold15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list