methadone

/ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn/

//ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“methadone” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,739. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,739
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A powerful synthetic analgesic drug which is similar to morphine in its effects but less sedative and is used as a substitute drug in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

methadone vs methane
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for methadone
PropertyValue
Headwordmethadone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#29,739
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “methadone” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around methadone (IPA /ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,739 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A powerful synthetic analgesic drug which is similar to morphine in its effects but less sedative and is used as a substitute drug in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for methadone, with forms such as "emthadone", "mehtadone", and "metahdone". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "methane", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From (di)meth(yl)a(mino) + d(iphenyl) + (heptan)one. The correct English form is methadone, spelled M-E-T-H-A-D-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A powerful synthetic analgesic drug which is similar to morphine in its effects but less sedative and is used as a substitute drug in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction.

Etymology

From (di)meth(yl)a(mino) + d(iphenyl) + (heptan)one.

This word in other languages

méthadone(Français)Methadon(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emthadone
  • mehtadone
  • metahdone
  • methaddone
  • methadnoe
  • methadoen
  • methadonne
  • methaodne
  • methdaone
  • methhadone
  • metthadone
  • mmethadone
  • mtehadone

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emthadone2mehtadone2metahdone2methaddone1methadnoe2methadoen2methadonne1methaodne2
Edit distance from "methadone"

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 "methadone"?
"methadone" is spelled M-E-T-H-A-D-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn/.
What does "methadone" mean?
As a noun, "methadone" means: A powerful synthetic analgesic drug which is similar to morphine in its effects but less sedative and is used as a substitute drug in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction.
What words are commonly confused with "methadone"?
"methadone" is commonly confused with "methane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "methadone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "methadone" is /ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn/. 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 "methadone"?
From (di)meth(yl)a(mino) + d(iphenyl) + (heptan)one. 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.

Using “methadone”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-E-T-H-A-D-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmɛθ.əd.əʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “methane” - see the side-by-side comparison. methadone vs methane
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list