deflate

/diːˈfleɪt/

//diːˈfleɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"deflate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deflate” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,415. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,415
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deflate · deflate · English

deflate · rank #46,415 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,415
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH demonize

Nearest frequency peer: demonize (+1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “deflate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “deflate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

deflate vs delete
71% similar
deflate vs deviate
71% similar
deflate vs deplete
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for deflate
PropertyValue
Headworddeflate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/diːˈfleɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#46,415
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deflate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).deflatelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “demonize” (#46,416), “Debby” (#46,413), “deactivation” (#46,412). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deflate” is #46,415. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around deflate (IPA /diːˈfleɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #46,415 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for deflate, with forms such as "ddeflate", "defalte", and "defflate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "delete", "deviate", "deplete", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + (in)flate. Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to Latin dē- (“away, from”) + Latin flō (“blow”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is deflate, spelled D-E-F-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre.
  2. 2
    To cause an object to decrease or become smaller in some parameter, e.g. to shrink
  3. 3
    To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.
  4. 4
    To become deflated.
  5. 5
    To let (someone) down, disappoint them, or put them in their place.
  6. 6
    To compress (data) according to a particular algorithm.
  7. 7
    To belch or flatulate

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. deflate someone's ego
  2. Scotland's first match at a men's major finals in 23 years ended in anguish after Patrik Schick's incredible halfway-line goal helped the Czech Republic inflict a deflating opening Euro 2020 defeat at Hampden.

Etymology

From de- + (in)flate. Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to Latin dē- (“away, from”) + Latin flō (“blow”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Antonyms

inflate

This word in other languages

desinflar(Español)dégonfler(Français)entleeren(Deutsch)murchar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeflate
  • defalte
  • defflate
  • deflaet
  • deflatte
  • defllate
  • defltae
  • delfate
  • dfelate
  • edflate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of deflate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddeflate1defalte2defflate1deflaet2deflatte1defllate1defltae2delfate2
Edit distance from "deflate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "deflate"?
"deflate" is spelled D-E-F-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /diːˈfleɪt/.
What does "deflate" mean?
As a verb, "deflate" means: To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre.
What words are commonly confused with "deflate"?
"deflate" is commonly confused with "delete", "deviate", "deplete". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deflate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deflate" is /diːˈfleɪt/. 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 "deflate"?
From de- + (in)flate. Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to Latin dē- (“away, from”) + Latin flō (“blow”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "deflate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dwindle#46,434clicker#46,382Erdoğan#46,448eyesore#46,454

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

effector10 variantscaresses10 variantscabbages10 variantsgrimace10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list