deselect

/ˌdiːsəˈlɛkt/

//ˌdiːsəˈlɛkt// verb

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

"deselect" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deselect” is uncommon English (frequency #87,203 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,203
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To not select; to rule out of selection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deselect · deselect · English

deselect · rank #87,203 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,203
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH desa

Nearest frequency peer: desa (-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 “deselect”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for deselect
PropertyValue
Headworddeselect
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌdiːsəˈlɛkt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#87,203
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “deselect” 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).deselectfalls 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: “desa” (#87,202), “deshmukh” (#87,204), “demiurge” (#87,200). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deselect” is #87,203. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deselect is uncommon English at frequency #87,203 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌdiːsəˈlɛkt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for deselect, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, 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- + select. The correct English form is deselect, spelled D-E-S-E-L-E-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To not select; to rule out of selection.
  2. 2
    To reject (an incumbent) as a party's candidate for a forthcoming election.
  3. 3
    To remove from an existing selection.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ACTION may deselect a Trainee out of a training program for any of the following reasons: (a) Failure to meet training selection standards which includes, but is not limited to, the following conduct: […]
  2. One recently deselected Sinn Féin assembly member, Davy Hyland in Newry and Armagh, has already quit the party in protest.

Etymology

From de- + select.

Synonyms

unselect

Antonyms

selectreselect

This word in other languages

deseleccionar(Español)désélectionner(Français)abwählen(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 "deselect"?
"deselect" is spelled D-E-S-E-L-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdiːsəˈlɛkt/.
What does "deselect" mean?
As a verb, "deselect" means: To not select; to rule out of selection.
How do you pronounce "deselect"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deselect" is /ˌdiːsəˈlɛkt/. 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 "deselect"?
From de- + select. 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 "deselect", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deshmukh#87,204demiurge#87,200Dijkstra#87,214disfavor#87,218

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list