How many distinct arrangements can be formed using all the letters in the word 'MESMERISE'?

Explanation

When arranging n items where some are repeated, the total number of unique permutations is given by n! divided by the factorials of the counts of each repeated item. The word 'MESMERISE' has 9 letters with 2 M's, 3 E's, and 2 S's. Therefore, the total number of distinct permutations is calculated as 9! divided by (2!) squared times 3!.