misdirect
/ˌmɪs.daɪˈɹɛkt/verb
misdirect is spelled M-I-S-D-I-R-E-C-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 87,317th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, misdirect means “To direct something wrongly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in misdirect?
| Letters | 9: M-I-S-D-I-R-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 87,317th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is misdirect?
Misdirect appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 87,317th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce misdirect?
- /ˌmɪs.daɪˈɹɛkt/
- /ˌmɪs.dɪˈɹɛkt/
Misdirect has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-misdirect.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of misdirect
- misdirects present, singular, he/she/it
- misdirecting participle, present
- misdirected participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does misdirect mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To direct something wrongly
- 2
To direct attention away from covert actions or intended targets.
- 3
To put the incorrect address on a mail item
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Misdirect in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | fehlleiten |
| Spanish | poner mal la dirección |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does misdirect come from?
From mis- + direct.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).