defeasible

[dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ]

/[dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ]/ adj

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

The verdict

“defeasible” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Capable of being defeated, terminated, annulled, voided or invalidated.

Key facts for defeasible
PropertyValue
Headworddefeasible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “defeasible” sits in English frequency

defeasible falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for defeasible is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ]. 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: "Capable of being defeated, terminated, annulled, voided or invalidated.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for defeasible, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from defeasance + -ible, from Anglo-Norman defesaunce, Old French desfaisance, a deverbal noun from desfaire (“to undo”) (Modern French défaire), from des- (“un-, apart”) + fere, faire (“to do”) + -able, reflecting Latin dis- + facere + -ābil… The correct English form is defeasible, spelled D-E-F-E-A-S-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capable of being defeated, terminated, annulled, voided or invalidated.

Etymology

Back-formation from defeasance + -ible, from Anglo-Norman defesaunce, Old French desfaisance, a deverbal noun from desfaire (“to undo”) (Modern French défaire), from des- (“un-, apart”) + fere, faire (“to do”) + -able, reflecting Latin dis- + facere + -ābilis. Near-doublet of defeatable.

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 "defeasible"?
"defeasible" is spelled D-E-F-E-A-S-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ].
What does "defeasible" mean?
As an adjective, "defeasible" means: Capable of being defeated, terminated, annulled, voided or invalidated.
How do you pronounce "defeasible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defeasible" is [dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ]. 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 "defeasible"?
Back-formation from defeasance + -ible, from Anglo-Norman defesaunce, Old French desfaisance, a deverbal noun from desfaire (“to undo”) (Modern French défaire), from des- (“un-, apart”) + fere, faire (“to do”) + -able, reflecting Latin dis- + face... 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.

Using “defeasible”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-F-E-A-S-I-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [dɪˈfiːzɪbəɫ] (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list