de-emphasize
/diːˈɛmfəsaɪz/
"de-emphasize" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“de-emphasize” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remove or reduce the emphasis from something; to make something less important; to play down.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | de-emphasize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /diːˈɛmfəsaɪz/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “de-emphasize” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for de-emphasize is 12 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /diːˈɛmfəsaɪz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To remove or reduce the emphasis from something; to make something less important; to play down.".
No misspelling variants are generated for de-emphasize in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + emphasize. The correct English form is de-emphasize, spelled D-E---E-M-P-H-A-S-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To remove or reduce the emphasis from something; to make something less important; to play down.
Etymology
From de- + emphasize.
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
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Using “de-emphasize”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E---E-M-P-H-A-S-I-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /diːˈɛmfəsaɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.