misdemeanor

/ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/

//ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)// noun

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

"misdemeanor" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“misdemeanor” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,677. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,677
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-misdemeanor · misdemeanor · English

misdemeanor · rank #17,677 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,677
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mir

Nearest frequency peer: mir (-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 “misdemeanor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “misdemeanor” 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 misdemeanor
PropertyValue
Headwordmisdemeanor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/
Letters11
Frequency rank#17,677
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “misdemeanor”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).misdemeanorlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mir” (#17,676), “misfortune” (#17,678), “Mikhail” (#17,675). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “misdemeanor” is #17,677. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around misdemeanor (IPA /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,677 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for misdemeanor, with forms such as "imsdemeanor", "midsemeanor", and "misddemeanor". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. 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 mis- + demeanor. The correct English form is misdemeanor, spelled M-I-S-D-E-M-E-A-N-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.
  2. 2
    Any act of misbehavior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Because of the mother's lack of affection and the judgments made by everybody around her, the child is in opposition to everybody. Her misdemeanors may be partly the expression of her inner revolt.

Etymology

From mis- + demeanor.

This word in other languages

contravención(Español)forfait(Français)Vergehen(Deutsch)contravenção(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imsdemeanor
  • midsemeanor
  • misddemeanor
  • misdeemanor
  • misdemaenor
  • misdemeannor
  • misdemeanorr
  • misdemeanro
  • misdemeaonr
  • misdemenaor
  • misdemmeanor
  • misdmeeanor
  • misedmeanor
  • missdemeanor
  • mmisdemeanor
  • msidemeanor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imsdemeanor2midsemeanor2misddemeanor1misdeemanor2misdemaenor2misdemeannor1misdemeanorr1misdemeanro2
Edit distance from "misdemeanor"

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 "misdemeanor"?
"misdemeanor" is spelled M-I-S-D-E-M-E-A-N-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/.
What does "misdemeanor" mean?
As a noun, "misdemeanor" means: A lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.
What are common misspellings of "misdemeanor"?
Common misspellings include "imsdemeanor", "midsemeanor", "misddemeanor", "misdeemanor", "misdemaenor". The correct spelling is "misdemeanor".
How do you pronounce "misdemeanor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "misdemeanor" is /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/. 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 "misdemeanor"?
From mis- + demeanor. 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 "misdemeanor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mountainous#17,681retribution#17,703incremental#17,639imperialism#17,637

Similar misspelling depth

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

toothbrush16 variantsvariability16 variantsapologizing16 variantsdirectional16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list