desolate

/ˈdɛs.ə.lət/

//ˈdɛs.ə.lət// adj

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

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

The verdict

“desolate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,238. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,238
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Deserted and devoid of inhabitants.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desolate · desolate · English

desolate · rank #23,238 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,238
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deregulation

Nearest frequency peer: deregulation (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “desolate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “desolate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

desolate vs detonate
75% similar
desolate vs deflate
75% similar
desolate vs decorate
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for desolate
PropertyValue
Headworddesolate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɛs.ə.lət/
Letters8
Frequency rank#23,238
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “desolate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).desolatelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “deregulation” (#23,237), “devour” (#23,239), “digger” (#23,240). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “desolate” is #23,238. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around desolate (IPA /ˈdɛs.ə.lət/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,238 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for desolate, with forms such as "ddesolate", "deoslate", and "desloate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "detonate", "deflate", "decorate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English desolat(e). See Etymology 2 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. The correct English form is desolate, spelled D-E-S-O-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deserted and devoid of inhabitants.
  2. 2
    Barren and lifeless.
  3. 3
    Made unfit for habitation or use because of neglect, destruction etc.
  4. 4
    Dismal or dreary.
  5. 5
    Sad, forlorn and hopeless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a desolate isle; a desolate wilderness; a desolate house
  2. I will make Jerusalem […] a den of dragons, and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

Etymology

From Middle English desolat(e). See Etymology 2 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

This word in other languages

desierto(Español)désert(Français)verlassen(Deutsch)deserto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddesolate
  • deoslate
  • desloate
  • desoalte
  • desolaet
  • desolatte
  • desollate
  • desoltae
  • dessolate
  • dseolate
  • edsolate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of desolate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddesolate1deoslate2desloate2desoalte2desolaet2desolatte1desollate1desoltae2
Edit distance from "desolate"

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 "desolate"?
"desolate" is spelled D-E-S-O-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛs.ə.lət/.
What does "desolate" mean?
As an adjective, "desolate" means: Deserted and devoid of inhabitants.
What words are commonly confused with "desolate"?
"desolate" is commonly confused with "detonate", "deflate", "decorate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "desolate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desolate" is /ˈdɛs.ə.lət/. 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 "desolate"?
From Middle English desolat(e). See Etymology 2 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. 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 "desolate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

doughnut#23,249envision#23,259esoteric#23,264Eurozone#23,265

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

deflect11 variantscustard11 variantsconveys11 variantscoliseum11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list