tatterdemalion
/tætədəˈmeɪliɒn/
"tatterdemalion" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tatterdemalion” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tattered.
Corpus desk
Index EN-tatterdemalion · tatterdemalion · English
tatterdemalion · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 14 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "T" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tatterdemalion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /tætədəˈmeɪliɒn/ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “tatterdemalion” in English
Rare enough to double-check
tatterdemalion is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /tætədəˈmeɪliɒn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Tattered.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for tatterdemalion, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested circa 1608. An early spelling was tatter-de-mallion, rhymed with Italian. The first part of the word is tatter; the origin of the second part is uncertain; Ebenezer Cobham Brewer suggested it might be from de maillot (“shirt”). The correct English form is tatterdemalion, spelled T-A-T-T-E-R-D-E-M-A-L-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Tattered.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how tatterdemalion appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The house, on his arrival, seemed in some confusion, as if a catastrophe had happened in the family; and the servants clustered together in the hall, and were unable, or perhaps not altogether anxious, to suppress their merriment at the tatterdemalion figure of the secretary.
For the same reason the kings of Europe could not resist the tatterdemalion soldiers of the Convention.
Etymology
First attested circa 1608. An early spelling was tatter-de-mallion, rhymed with Italian. The first part of the word is tatter; the origin of the second part is uncertain; Ebenezer Cobham Brewer suggested it might be from de maillot (“shirt”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.