demolish

/dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/

//dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“demolish” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,946. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,946
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demolish · demolish · English

demolish · rank #22,946 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #22,946
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH delicacy

Nearest frequency peer: delicacy (-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 “demolish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demolish” 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).

demolish vs devilish
75% similar

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

Key facts for demolish
PropertyValue
Headworddemolish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#22,946
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demolish”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “delicacy” (#22,945), “Dempsey” (#22,947), “deport” (#22,948). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demolish” is #22,946. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around demolish (IPA /dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,946 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for demolish, with forms such as "ddemolish", "demloish", and "demmolish". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "devilish", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since the 16th century; from Middle French demoliss-, the stem of some conjugated forms of the verb demolir (“to destroy”, “to tear down”), from Latin dēmōlior (“I tear down”). Displaced native Old English tōweorpan (literally “to throw apart”). The correct English form is demolish, spelled D-E-M-O-L-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.
  2. 2
    To defeat, refute, discredit, or consume utterly (as a theory, belief or opponent).
  3. 3
    To devour; to eat up

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They demolished the old mill and put up four townhouses.
  2. The station did not have a long life, as it was demolished between 1884 and 1888 to make room for a new and larger station which forms part of the present Liverpool Exchange Station.

Etymology

Attested since the 16th century; from Middle French demoliss-, the stem of some conjugated forms of the verb demolir (“to destroy”, “to tear down”), from Latin dēmōlior (“I tear down”). Displaced native Old English tōweorpan (literally “to throw apart”).

This word in other languages

demoler(Español)démolir(Français)abreißen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemolish
  • demloish
  • demmolish
  • demoilsh
  • demolihs
  • demolishh
  • demolissh
  • demollish
  • demolsih
  • deomlish
  • dmeolish
  • edmolish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddemolish1demloish2demmolish1demoilsh2demolihs2demolishh1demolissh1demollish1
Edit distance from "demolish"

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 "demolish"?
"demolish" is spelled D-E-M-O-L-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/.
What does "demolish" mean?
As a verb, "demolish" means: To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.
What words are commonly confused with "demolish"?
"demolish" is commonly confused with "devilish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demolish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demolish" is /dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/. 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 "demolish"?
Attested since the 16th century; from Middle French demoliss-, the stem of some conjugated forms of the verb demolir (“to destroy”, “to tear down”), from Latin dēmōlior (“I tear down”). Displaced native Old English tōweorpan (literally “to throw a... 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 "demolish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

delicacy#22,945doomsday#22,956cleverly#22,929charting#22,924

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

bruising12 variantsimpunity12 variantsindexing12 variantsaeroplane12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list