demotivate

/ˌdiːˈmoʊtɪveɪt/

//ˌdiːˈmoʊtɪveɪt// verb

"demotivate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“demotivate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To decrease the motivation of a person or a group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demotivate · demotivate · English

demotivate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for demotivate
PropertyValue
Headworddemotivate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌdiːˈmoʊtɪveɪt/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “demotivate” in English

demotivateranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

demotivate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌdiːˈmoʊtɪveɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To decrease the motivation of a person or a group.".

Zero misspellings are on record for demotivate in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + motivate. The correct English form is demotivate, spelled D-E-M-O-T-I-V-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To decrease the motivation of a person or a group.

Etymology

From de- + motivate.

Antonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "demotivate"?
"demotivate" is spelled D-E-M-O-T-I-V-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdiːˈmoʊtɪveɪt/.
What does "demotivate" mean?
As a verb, "demotivate" means: To decrease the motivation of a person or a group.
How do you pronounce "demotivate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demotivate" is /ˌdiːˈmoʊtɪveɪt/. 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 "demotivate"?
From de- + motivate. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list