dastardize

verb

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

The verdict

“dastardize” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make cowardly; to intimidate or weaken the spirits of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dastardize · dastardize · English

dastardize · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" 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.

Key facts for dastardize
PropertyValue
Headworddastardize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dastardize” in English

dastardizesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dastardize is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To make cowardly; to intimidate or weaken the spirits of.".

Zero misspellings are on record for dastardize in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dastard + -ize. The correct English form is dastardize, spelled D-A-S-T-A-R-D-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make cowardly; to intimidate or weaken the spirits of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. dastardize my courage

Etymology

From dastard + -ize.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dastardize"?
"dastardize" is spelled D-A-S-T-A-R-D-I-Z-E.
What does "dastardize" mean?
As a verb, "dastardize" means: To make cowardly; to intimidate or weaken the spirits of.
What is the origin of the word "dastardize"?
From dastard + -ize. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list