desalinate
/diːˈsælɪneɪt/
"desalinate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“desalinate” 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 May 6, 2026) - To remove the salt from something, especially from seawater for use in a domestic water supply
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | desalinate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /diːˈsælɪneɪt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “desalinate” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
desalinate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /diːˈsælɪneɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To remove the salt from something, especially from seawater for use in a domestic water supply".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for desalinate, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + salinate. The correct English form is desalinate, spelled D-E-S-A-L-I-N-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To remove the salt from something, especially from seawater for use in a domestic water supply
Etymology
From de- + salinate.
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
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Using “desalinate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-S-A-L-I-N-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /diːˈsælɪneɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.