denounce

/diˈnaʊns/

//diˈnaʊns// verb

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

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

The verdict

“denounce” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,181. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,181
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make known in a formal manner; to proclaim; to announce; to declare.

Corpus desk

Index EN-denounce · denounce · English

denounce · rank #21,181 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #21,181
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH derogatory

Nearest frequency peer: derogatory (+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 “denounce”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “denounce” 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).

denounce vs denounced
89% similar

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

Key facts for denounce
PropertyValue
Headworddenounce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/diˈnaʊns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,181
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “denounce”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).denouncelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “derogatory” (#21,182), “deceit” (#21,179), “diagnoses” (#21,183). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “denounce” is #21,181. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around denounce (IPA /diˈnaʊns/), averb. Corpus frequency is #21,181 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for denounce, with forms such as "ddenounce", "dennounce", and "denonuce". 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, "denounced", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō (“to announce, to denounce, to threaten”), from de + nūntiō (“to announce, to report, to denounce”), from nūntius (“messenger, message”). Doublet of denunciate. The correct English form is denounce, spelled D-E-N-O-U-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make known in a formal manner; to proclaim; to announce; to declare.
  2. 2
    To criticize or speak out against (someone or something); to point out as deserving of reprehension, etc.; to openly accuse or condemn in a threatening manner; to invoke censure upon; to stigmatize; to blame.
  3. 3
    To make a formal or public accusation against; to inform against; to accuse.
  4. 4
    To proclaim in a threatening manner; to threaten by some outward sign or expression; make a menace of.
  5. 5
    To announce the termination of; especially a treaty or armistice.
  6. 6
    To claim the right of working a mine that is abandoned or insufficiently worked.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Nero[…]sent his Satellites or officers toward him, to denounce the decree of his death to him[…].
  2. And full of peace, denouncing wrath to come

Etymology

From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō (“to announce, to denounce, to threaten”), from de + nūntiō (“to announce, to report, to denounce”), from nūntius (“messenger, message”). Doublet of denunciate.

This word in other languages

denunciar(Español)dénoncer(Français)verurteilen(Deutsch)denunciar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddenounce
  • dennounce
  • denonuce
  • denoucne
  • denouncce
  • denounec
  • denounnce
  • denuonce
  • deonunce
  • dneounce
  • ednounce

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of denounce - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddenounce1dennounce1denonuce2denoucne2denouncce1denounec2denounnce1denuonce2
Edit distance from "denounce"

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 "denounce"?
"denounce" is spelled D-E-N-O-U-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /diˈnaʊns/.
What does "denounce" mean?
As a verb, "denounce" means: To make known in a formal manner; to proclaim; to announce; to declare.
What words are commonly confused with "denounce"?
"denounce" is commonly confused with "denounced". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "denounce"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "denounce" is /diˈnaʊns/. 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 "denounce"?
From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō (“to announce, to denounce, to threaten”), from de + nūntiō (“to announce, to report, to denounce”), from nūntius (“messenger, message”). Doublet of denunciate. 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 "denounce", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deadpool#21,178confines#21,167eastward#21,195euphoria#21,205

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

frowned11 variantsAmherst11 variantshawking11 variantsKnowles11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list