widespread

/ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/

//ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd// adj

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

"widespread" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“widespread” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,283. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,283
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused.

Corpus desk

Index EN-widespread · widespread · English

widespread · rank #5,283 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,283
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH weakness

Nearest frequency peer: weakness (-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 “widespread”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “widespread” 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 widespread
PropertyValue
Headwordwidespread
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,283
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “widespread”

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).widespreadlands 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 “weakness” (#5,282), “Xbox” (#5,284), “wasted” (#5,281). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “widespread” is #5,283. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around widespread (IPA /ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,283 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for widespread, with forms such as "iwdespread", "wdiespread", and "widdespread". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wide + spread. The correct English form is widespread, spelled W-I-D-E-S-P-R-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused.
  2. 2
    Spread far apart.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. widespread belief
  2. widespread criticism

Etymology

From wide + spread.

Synonyms

extensivepervasiveprevalentubiquitousuniversalcommondisseminatedfar-flungpredominantprevailingregnantrifespread outsystemicwidespread

Antonyms

limitedcontainedendemicfew and far betweenfocusedrareuncommon

This word in other languages

amplio(Español)répandu(Français)weitläufig(Deutsch)difuso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwdespread
  • wdiespread
  • widdespread
  • widepsread
  • widesperad
  • widesppread
  • widespraed
  • widespreadd
  • widespreda
  • widesprread
  • widesrpead
  • widesspread
  • widsepread
  • wiedspread
  • wwidespread

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of widespread - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iwdespread2wdiespread2widdespread1widepsread2widesperad2widesppread1widespraed2widespreadd1
Edit distance from "widespread"

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 "widespread"?
"widespread" is spelled W-I-D-E-S-P-R-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/.
What does "widespread" mean?
As an adjective, "widespread" means: Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused.
What are common misspellings of "widespread"?
Common misspellings include "iwdespread", "wdiespread", "widdespread", "widepsread", "widesperad". The correct spelling is "widespread".
How do you pronounce "widespread"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "widespread" is /ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/. 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 "widespread"?
From wide + spread. 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 "widespread", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

accessible#5,286assignment#5,291Birmingham#5,298restricted#5,259

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

respective15 variantsexcitement15 variantsapproaching15 variantsillustrated15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list