indictment

/ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/

//ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt// noun

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

"indictment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indictment” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,236. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,236
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An official formal accusation for a criminal offence, or the process by which it is brought to a jury.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indictment · indictment · English

indictment · rank #11,236 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,236
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH idle

Nearest frequency peer: idle (-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 “indictment”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “indictment” 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 indictment
PropertyValue
Headwordindictment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#11,236
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “indictment”

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).indictmentlands 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 “idle” (#11,235), “insulting” (#11,237), “IA” (#11,234). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “indictment” is #11,236. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around indictment (IPA /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,236 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for indictment, with forms such as "idnictment", "indcitment", and "inddictment". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: 18th-century Latinized respelling of Middle English endytement (“action of accusing”), from Anglo-Norman enditement, from enditer, from Late Latin indictāre, from Latin indictus. The correct English form is indictment, spelled I-N-D-I-C-T-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An official formal accusation for a criminal offence, or the process by which it is brought to a jury.
  2. 2
    The official legal document outlining the charges concerned; bill of indictment.
  3. 3
    An accusation of wrongdoing; a criticism or condemnation.
  4. 4
    Evidence of failure or poor performance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But she accomplished the third task — the one that mattered most to her boss — securing a criminal indictment against Mr. Comey, the former F.B.I. director.
  2. […]— the indictment will remain sealed until his expected arraignment on Tuesday, when the charges will be formally revealed.

Etymology

18th-century Latinized respelling of Middle English endytement (“action of accusing”), from Anglo-Norman enditement, from enditer, from Late Latin indictāre, from Latin indictus.

This word in other languages

acusación(Español)inculpation(Français)Anklage(Deutsch)indiciamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnictment
  • indcitment
  • inddictment
  • indicctment
  • indicmtent
  • indictemnt
  • indictmennt
  • indictmentt
  • indictmetn
  • indictmment
  • indictmnet
  • indicttment
  • inditcment
  • inidctment
  • inndictment
  • nidictment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

idnictment2indcitment2inddictment1indicctment1indicmtent2indictemnt2indictmennt1indictmentt1
Edit distance from "indictment"

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 "indictment"?
"indictment" is spelled I-N-D-I-C-T-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/.
What does "indictment" mean?
As a noun, "indictment" means: An official formal accusation for a criminal offence, or the process by which it is brought to a jury.
What are common misspellings of "indictment"?
Common misspellings include "idnictment", "indcitment", "inddictment", "indicctment", "indicmtent". The correct spelling is "indictment".
How do you pronounce "indictment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indictment" is /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/. 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 "indictment"?
18th-century Latinized respelling of Middle English endytement (“action of accusing”), from Anglo-Norman enditement, from enditer, from Late Latin indictāre, from Latin indictus. 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 "indictment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kardashian#11,242millennium#11,249Petersburg#11,265domination#11,202

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

confederate16 variantscompulsory16 variantscomprehend16 variantssongwriter16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list