demise

/dɪˈmaɪz/

//dɪˈmaɪz// noun

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

"demise" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“demise” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,866. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,866
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demise · demise · English

demise · rank #11,866 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,866
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dependence

Nearest frequency peer: dependence (+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 “demise”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demise” 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).

demise vs Dems
50% similar
demise vs dense
67% similar
demise vs Denis
50% similar

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

Key facts for demise
PropertyValue
Headworddemise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈmaɪz/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,866
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demise”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).demiselands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “dependence” (#11,867), “Debbie” (#11,864), “daytime” (#11,863). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demise” is #11,866. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around demise (IPA /dɪˈmaɪz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,866 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for demise, with forms such as "ddemise", "deimse", and "demies". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Dems", "dense", "Denis", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English demyse, dimise, dimisse, dymyse, from Middle French démise, the feminine singular past participle of démettre (“to put down, relinquish”); from Latin dēmissa, feminine singular of perfect passive participle of dēmittō. The "death" and "e… The correct English form is demise, spelled D-E-M-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
  2. 2
    Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.
  3. 3
    Death; decease.
  4. 4
    The end of something, in a negative sense; downfall.
  5. 5
    The atmospheric disintegration of a satellite or satellite component upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Immediately upon the Royal Assent being signified to this Act the Instrument of Abdication […] shall have effect, and thereupon His Majesty shall cease to be King and there shall be a demise of the Crown, and accordingly the member of the Royal Family then next in succession to the Throne shall succeed thereto and to all the rights, privileges, and dignit…
  2. Earth looked her loveliest to receive my sweet sister's gentle dust; but all was harsh and sullen as her own nature when Lady Avonleigh's haughty ashes returned to their original element. Immediately after her demise, her son went abroad, and I accompanied him.

Etymology

From Middle English demyse, dimise, dimisse, dymyse, from Middle French démise, the feminine singular past participle of démettre (“to put down, relinquish”); from Latin dēmissa, feminine singular of perfect passive participle of dēmittō. The "death" and "end" senses derive by way of euphemism from the legal sense, as a person's death was a common way that the legal demise could be accomplished. The verb is from Middle English dimisen, from the noun.

This word in other languages

quiebra(Español)transfert(Français)Verpachtung(Deutsch)transferência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemise
  • deimse
  • demies
  • demisse
  • demmise
  • demsie
  • dmeise
  • edmise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of demise - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddemise1deimse2demies2demisse1demmise1demsie2dmeise2edmise2
Edit distance from "demise"

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 "demise"?
"demise" is spelled D-E-M-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈmaɪz/.
What does "demise" mean?
As a noun, "demise" means: The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
What words are commonly confused with "demise"?
"demise" is commonly confused with "Dems", "dense", "Denis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demise" is /dɪˈmaɪz/. 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 "demise"?
From Middle English demyse, dimise, dimisse, dymyse, from Middle French démise, the feminine singular past participle of démettre (“to put down, relinquish”); from Latin dēmissa, feminine singular of perfect passive participle of dēmittō. The "dea... 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 "demise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Debbie#11,864crunch#11,861digits#11,872cliffs#11,852

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

healed8 variantsherein8 variantsassassin8 variantsHoffman8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list