redefine

verb

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

"redefine" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“redefine” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,897. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,897
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To define again or differently.

Corpus desk

Index EN-redefine · redefine · English

redefine · rank #25,897 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,897
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reeling

Nearest frequency peer: reeling (+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 “redefine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “redefine” 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).

redefine vs refine
75% similar
redefine vs redline
75% similar

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

Key facts for redefine
PropertyValue
Headwordredefine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,897
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “redefine”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).redefinelands 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 “reeling” (#25,898), “QR” (#25,895), “reinstate” (#25,899). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “redefine” is #25,897. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around redefine, averb. Corpus frequency is #25,897 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for redefine, with forms such as "erdefine", "rdeefine", and "reddefine". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "refine", "redline", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From re- + define. The correct English form is redefine, spelled R-E-D-E-F-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To define again or differently.
  2. 2
    To define again or differently.
  3. 3
    To define again or differently.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But only if one forgets that Mr. Tester is 50 years old, he’s seasoned in state politics, he ran a canny, gloves-off campaign, and he’s the kind of charismatic, hard-to-peg, Western neopopulist (like his friend, Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana) who might be, even now, redefining in certain far-reaching ways what it means to be a Democrat.
  2. Scientists and policy makers from around 60 nations voted unanimously Friday to redefine the kilogram. […] Friday’s vote has permanently redefined the kilogram and sent Le Grand K into retirement.

Etymology

From re- + define.

This word in other languages

redéfinir(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erdefine
  • rdeefine
  • reddefine
  • redeffine
  • redefien
  • redefinne
  • redefnie
  • redeifne
  • redfeine
  • reedfine
  • rredefine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of redefine - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

erdefine2rdeefine2reddefine1redeffine1redefien2redefinne1redefnie2redeifne2
Edit distance from "redefine"

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 "redefine"?
"redefine" is spelled R-E-D-E-F-I-N-E.
What does "redefine" mean?
As a verb, "redefine" means: To define again or differently.
What words are commonly confused with "redefine"?
"redefine" is commonly confused with "refine", "redline". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "redefine"?
From re- + define. 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 "redefine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

placenta#25,882Pharrell#25,879obstruct#25,862subtlety#25,940

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Sargent11 variantsstardom11 variantsSwindon11 variantslonesome11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list