depopulation

/diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/

//diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"depopulation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“depopulation” is uncommon English (frequency #60,755 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,755
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of depopulating or condition of being depopulated; the destruction or expulsion of inhabitants.

Corpus desk

Index EN-depopulation · depopulation · English

depopulation · rank #60,755 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,755
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Deniz

Nearest frequency peer: Deniz (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “depopulation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “depopulation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for depopulation
PropertyValue
Headworddepopulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#60,755
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “depopulation” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Deniz” (#60,754), “demographically” (#60,753), “deliverer” (#60,752). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “depopulation” is #60,755. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

depopulation is uncommon English at frequency #60,755 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The act of depopulating or condition of being depopulated; the destruction or expulsion of inhabitants.".

depopulation doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English depopulacion (also spelled depopulacyoun, depopolacion), borrowed from Latin dēpopulātiō. By surface analysis, depopulate + -ion. The correct English form is depopulation, spelled D-E-P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of depopulating or condition of being depopulated; the destruction or expulsion of inhabitants.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A 2022 report published by the Scottish Borders Council states: "Hawick has been affected more by depopulation than any other Borders town, with all parts of the town experiencing population loss, and Hawick Central is currently experiencing the highest depopulation out of the 30 Intermediate Zones in Scottish Borders."

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English depopulacion (also spelled depopulacyoun, depopolacion), borrowed from Latin dēpopulātiō. By surface analysis, depopulate + -ion.

This word in other languages

dépeuplement(Français)Entvölkerung(Deutsch)

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 "depopulation"?
"depopulation" is spelled D-E-P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/.
What does "depopulation" mean?
As a noun, "depopulation" means: The act of depopulating or condition of being depopulated; the destruction or expulsion of inhabitants.
How do you pronounce "depopulation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "depopulation" is /diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/. 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 "depopulation"?
Inherited from Middle English depopulacion (also spelled depopulacyoun, depopolacion), borrowed from Latin dēpopulātiō. By surface analysis, depopulate + -ion. 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 "depopulation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

feminization#60,806calisthenics#60,685Hetherington#60,852begrudgingly#60,649

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list