# dismay vs distal

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### dismay
*verb · IPA /dɪsˈmeɪ/ · frequency rank #20,613*
To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.

### distal
*adjective · IPA /ˈdɪs.təl/ · frequency rank #20,337*
Remote from the point of attachment or origin.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dismay-vs-distal