delegitimize
"delegitimize" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“delegitimize” is uncommon English (frequency #72,228 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #72,228
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make something less legitimate.
Corpus desk
Index EN-delegitimize · delegitimize · English
delegitimize · rank #72,228 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #72,228
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH declutter
Nearest frequency peer: declutter (-2 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 “delegitimize”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- deanery
deanery
27,779 corpus weight
- declassify
declassify
27,776 corpus weight
- declutter
declutter
27,775 corpus weight
- delegitimize
delegitimize
27,773 corpus weight
- Denpasar
Denpasar
27,770 corpus weight
- Devizes
Devizes
27,765 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “delegitimize” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | delegitimize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #72,228 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “delegitimize” in English
Rare enough to double-check
delegitimize is uncommon English at frequency #72,228 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for delegitimize in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + legitimize. The correct English form is delegitimize, spelled D-E-L-E-G-I-T-I-M-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To make something less legitimate.
- 2To make something illegal that was previously legal.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how delegitimize appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Iran could not be happier. The more Israel sinks into the West Bank, the more it is delegitimized and isolated, the more the world focuses on Israel’s colonialism rather than Iran’s nuclear enrichment, the more people call for a single democratic state in all of historic Palestine.
As that campaign seeks to do, fighting ISIS means delegitimizing Caliphism at home and abroad.
Etymology
From de- + legitimize.
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 "delegitimize"?
What does "delegitimize" mean?
What is the origin of the word "delegitimize"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "delegitimize", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).