deny

/dɪˈnaɪ/

//dɪˈnaɪ// verb

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

"deny" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deny” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,013. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,013
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To disallow or reject.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deny · deny · English

deny · rank #4,013 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,013
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 26,416
  • PHOTO-FINISH delicious

Nearest frequency peer: delicious (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “deny”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “deny” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

deny vs dy
50% similar
deny vs dry
50% similar
deny vs don
50% similar

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

Key facts for deny
PropertyValue
Headworddeny
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈnaɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,013
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “deny” 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). deny lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around deny (IPA /dɪˈnaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,013 among 26,416 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for deny, with forms such as "ddeny", "denny", and "denyy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dy", "dry", "don", 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 denyen, from Old French denoier (“to deny, to repudiate”) (French dénier), from Latin denegare (“to deny, to refuse”), from de- (“away”) and negare (“to refuse”), the latter ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né (“no, not”). Doublet of… The correct English form is deny, spelled D-E-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To disallow or reject.
  2. 2
    To assert that something is not true.
  3. 3
    To refuse to give or grant something to someone.
  4. 4
    To take something away from someone; to deprive of.
  5. 5
    To prevent from scoring.
  6. 6
    To disclaim connection with, responsibility for, etc.; to refuse to acknowledge; to disown; to abjure; to disavow.
  7. 7
    To refuse (to do or accept something).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I wanted to go to the party, but I was denied.
  2. 'Do! pray do! I shall be the most miserable of men if you don't. You cannot be so cruel as to deny me a favour so easily granted and yet so highly prized!' pleaded he as ardently as if his life depended on it.

Etymology

From Middle English denyen, from Old French denoier (“to deny, to repudiate”) (French dénier), from Latin denegare (“to deny, to refuse”), from de- (“away”) and negare (“to refuse”), the latter ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né (“no, not”). Doublet of denegate.

This word in other languages

negar(Español)nier(Français)leugnen(Deutsch)negar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeny
  • denny
  • denyy
  • deyn
  • dney
  • edny

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddeny1denny1denyy1deyn2dney2edny2
Edit distance from "deny"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "deny"?
"deny" is spelled D-E-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈnaɪ/.
What does "deny" mean?
As a verb, "deny" means: To disallow or reject.
What words are commonly confused with "deny"?
"deny" is commonly confused with "dy", "dry", "don". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deny"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deny" is /dɪˈnaɪ/. 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 "deny"?
From Middle English denyen, from Old French denoier (“to deny, to repudiate”) (French dénier), from Latin denegare (“to deny, to refuse”), from de- (“away”) and negare (“to refuse”), the latter ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né (“no, not”). ... 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 "deny", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ease#4,015fame#4,017bull#4,005Kate#4,027

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

kills6 variantswolf6 variantsMaria6 variantsrally6 variants
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