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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #22,946 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#22,946
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.

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)

Where “demolish” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for demolish is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #22,946 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

Using “demolish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-M-O-L-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “devilish” - see the side-by-side comparison. demolish vs devilish
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list