whodunit

/ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/

//ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“whodunit” is uncommon English (frequency #72,896 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,896
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.

Corpus desk

Index EN-whodunit · whodunit · English

whodunit · rank #72,896 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,896
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Whitmer

Nearest frequency peer: Whitmer (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “whodunit”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “whodunit” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for whodunit
PropertyValue
Headwordwhodunit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#72,896
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “whodunit” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).whodunitfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Whitmer” (#72,895), “widowhood” (#72,898), “Whitehurst” (#72,893). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “whodunit” is #72,896. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

whodunit is uncommon English at frequency #72,896 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.".

whodunit doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has. The correct English form is whodunit, spelled W-H-O-D-U-N-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows the same rules.

Etymology

Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.

This word in other languages

roman policier(Français)Kriminalroman(Deutsch)

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 "whodunit"?
"whodunit" is spelled W-H-O-D-U-N-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/.
What does "whodunit" mean?
As a noun, "whodunit" means: A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
How do you pronounce "whodunit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "whodunit" is /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/. 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 "whodunit"?
Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has. 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 "whodunit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Willmott#72,899woodsman#72,903Amazonas#72,937arthouse#72,951

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list