defray
/dɪˈfɹeɪ/
"defray" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“defray” is uncommon English (frequency #60,751 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #60,751
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
Corpus desk
Index EN-defray · defray · English
defray · rank #60,751 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #60,751
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH deferential
Nearest frequency peer: deferential (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “defray”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- dearer
dearer
39,253 corpus weight
- debased
debased
39,252 corpus weight
- deferential
deferential
39,251 corpus weight
- defray
defray
39,250 corpus weight
- deliverer
deliverer
39,249 corpus weight
- demographic…
demographically
39,248 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “defray” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | defray |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /dɪˈfɹeɪ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #60,751 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “defray” in English
Rare enough to double-check
defray is uncommon English at frequency #60,751 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪˈfɹeɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for defray in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier (“to spend”). The correct English form is defray, spelled D-E-F-R-A-Y.
Definition
- 1To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
- 2To pay for (something).
- 3To spend (money).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how defray appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The expenses of the war, while in progress, were defrayed by executing rich men and confiscating their property.
Investors, meanwhile, got back a fraction of their money. Some say Mr Meinl’s €100m bail, paid by a source in Liechtenstein, should be used to defray their losses.
Etymology
From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier (“to spend”).
This word in other languages
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 "defray"?
What does "defray" mean?
How do you pronounce "defray"?
What is the origin of the word "defray"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "defray", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).