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
4,057
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-methadone · methadone · English

methadone · rank #29,739 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #29,739
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH meritorious

Nearest frequency peer: meritorious (-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 “methadone”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “methadone” 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

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “methadone”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).methadonelands 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 “meritorious” (#29,738), “methanol” (#29,740), “menswear” (#29,737). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “methadone” is #29,739. 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 4,057 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. But methadone is a dangerous drug. If taken orally by a nonaddict, it can cause euphoria or even death.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "methadone", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mitigated#29,746Nordstrom#29,763outnumber#29,775Jamestown#29,700

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

ovulation13 variantsphrasing13 variantspledging13 variantshuntsman13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list