defigure

/dɪˈfɪɡə(ɹ)/

//dɪˈfɪɡə(ɹ)// verb

"defigure" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To delineate, to depict.

Corpus desk

Index EN-defigure · defigure · English

defigure · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 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 defigure
PropertyValue
Headworddefigure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈfɪɡə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “defigure” in English

defiguresits 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

defigure is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪˈfɪɡə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

defigure has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + figure. The correct English form is defigure, spelled D-E-F-I-G-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To delineate, to depict.
  2. 2
    to disfigure

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. These two stones as they are here defigured.

Etymology

From de- + figure.

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 "defigure"?
"defigure" is spelled D-E-F-I-G-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈfɪɡə(ɹ)/.
What does "defigure" mean?
As a verb, "defigure" means: To delineate, to depict.
How do you pronounce "defigure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defigure" is /dɪˈfɪɡə(ɹ)/. 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 "defigure"?
From de- + figure. 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