desecrate

/ˈdɛs.ɪ.kɹeɪ̯t/

//ˈdɛs.ɪ.kɹeɪ̯t// verb

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

"desecrate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“desecrate” is uncommon English (frequency #66,609 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,609
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To profane or violate the sacredness or sanctity of something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desecrate · desecrate · English

desecrate · rank #66,609 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,609
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dente

Nearest frequency peer: Dente (-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 “desecrate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for desecrate
PropertyValue
Headworddesecrate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɛs.ɪ.kɹeɪ̯t/
Letters9
Frequency rank#66,609
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “desecrate” 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).desecratefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Dente” (#66,608), “defunding” (#66,605), “DfID” (#66,613). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “desecrate” is #66,609. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

desecrate is uncommon English at frequency #66,609 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈdɛs.ɪ.kɹeɪ̯t/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

desecrate has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + stem of consecrate. The correct English form is desecrate, spelled D-E-S-E-C-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To profane or violate the sacredness or sanctity of something.
  2. 2
    To remove the consecration from someone or something; to deconsecrate.
  3. 3
    To change in an inappropriate and destructive manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It's reform -- reform! You're going to 'turn over a new leaf,' and all that, and sign the pledge, and quit cigars, and go to work, and pay your debts, and gravitate back into Sunday-school, where you can make love to the preacher's daughter under the guise of religion, and desecrate the sanctity of the innermost pale of the church by confessions at Class…
  2. Tonight nothing is too sacred, we desecrate and live in sin

Etymology

From de- + stem of consecrate.

Synonyms

defileunhallowdeconsecratedesanctifypervertcorruptdesecrateprofanateprofaneprofanizepollutesullytarnishviolate

Antonyms

consecrate

This word in other languages

profanar(Español)profaner(Français)entheiligen(Deutsch)profanar(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 "desecrate"?
"desecrate" is spelled D-E-S-E-C-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛs.ɪ.kɹeɪ̯t/.
What does "desecrate" mean?
As a verb, "desecrate" means: To profane or violate the sacredness or sanctity of something.
How do you pronounce "desecrate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desecrate" is /ˈdɛs.ɪ.kɹeɪ̯t/. 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 "desecrate"?
From de- + stem of consecrate. 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 "desecrate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

defunding#66,605downstate#66,622dramatize#66,624Dungeness#66,626

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list