deride

/dɪˈɹaɪd/

//dɪˈɹaɪd// verb

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

"deride" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deride” is uncommon English (frequency #59,339 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,339
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To laugh at or mock (someone or something) harshly; to ridicule, to scorn.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deride · deride · English

deride · rank #59,339 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,339
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deputation

Nearest frequency peer: deputation (-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 “deride”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for deride
PropertyValue
Headwordderide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈɹaɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#59,339
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “deride” 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).deridefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “deputation” (#59,338), “Dervish” (#59,340), “depreciating” (#59,337). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deride” is #59,339. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deride is uncommon English at frequency #59,339 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪˈɹaɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for deride in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *de Learned borrowing from Latin dērīdēre, the present active infinitive of dērīdeō (“to laugh at, make fun of, mock, deride”), from dē- (prefix denoting putting down or subjecting to indignity) + rīdeō (“to laugh; to laugh at, mock, ridicule”) (f… The correct English form is deride, spelled D-E-R-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To laugh at or mock (someone or something) harshly; to ridicule, to scorn.
  2. 2
    To laugh in a harshly mocking manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Cicero beeing Augur, derideth the Auguries, and blames men for letting their actions relie vpon the voyce of a Crovve or a Davve.
  2. And the people ſtood beholding ⁊ the rulers alſo with them derided him [Jesus], ſaying, hee ſaued others, let him ſaue himſelfe, if he be Chriſt, yͤ choſen of God.

Etymology

PIE word *de Learned borrowing from Latin dērīdēre, the present active infinitive of dērīdeō (“to laugh at, make fun of, mock, deride”), from dē- (prefix denoting putting down or subjecting to indignity) + rīdeō (“to laugh; to laugh at, mock, ridicule”) (further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to rotate; to turn”) (referring to turning the mouth to smile) or *wreyd- (“to carve; to scratch”)). cognates * Old French dérider (rare), derire

Synonyms

badgerbambarrackbrockbullyragchiackderidefleerfliggerflitegeckhecklehoundjeernipoutlaughpoke borackridiculescoffsneertaunttwit

This word in other languages

bafouer(Français)verhöhnen(Deutsch)ridicularizar(Português)

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 "deride"?
"deride" is spelled D-E-R-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈɹaɪd/.
What does "deride" mean?
As a verb, "deride" means: To laugh at or mock (someone or something) harshly; to ridicule, to scorn.
How do you pronounce "deride"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deride" is /dɪˈɹaɪd/. 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 "deride"?
PIE word *de Learned borrowing from Latin dērīdēre, the present active infinitive of dērīdeō (“to laugh at, make fun of, mock, deride”), from dē- (prefix denoting putting down or subjecting to indignity) + rīdeō (“to laugh; to laugh at, mock, rid... 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 "deride", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Drumpf#59,357Dufour#59,359Dailey#59,316cubist#59,311

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list