despise

/dɪˈspaɪz/

//dɪˈspaɪz// verb

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

"despise" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“despise” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,934. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,934
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To regard with contempt or scorn.

Corpus desk

Index EN-despise · despise · English

despise · rank #14,934 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,934
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH destroyer

Nearest frequency peer: destroyer (+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 “despise”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “despise” 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).

despise vs devise
71% similar
despise vs despite
86% similar
despise vs dispose
71% similar

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

Key facts for despise
PropertyValue
Headworddespise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈspaɪz/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,934
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “despise”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).despiselands 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 “destroyer” (#14,935), “decency” (#14,932), “diocese” (#14,936). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “despise” is #14,934. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around despise (IPA /dɪˈspaɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,934 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for despise, with forms such as "ddespise", "depsise", and "desipse". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "devise", "despite", "dispose", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English despisen, from Old French despis-, stem of despire, from Latin dēspicere (“to look down upon, despise, scorn”), from dē (“down”) + speciō (“to look at”). Displaced native Old English forsēon. The correct English form is despise, spelled D-E-S-P-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To regard with contempt or scorn.
  2. 2
    To disregard or ignore.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: hate
  2. James still despises his brother for the time he pushed him out of a tree during their childhood.

Etymology

From Middle English despisen, from Old French despis-, stem of despire, from Latin dēspicere (“to look down upon, despise, scorn”), from dē (“down”) + speciō (“to look at”). Displaced native Old English forsēon.

Synonyms

contemndespectdisrespectdespisedisdaindisesteemlook down onmisrespectscornspurn

Antonyms

admireappreciatecherishesteemrespectreverevaluetreasureto worship

This word in other languages

despreciar(Español)mépriser(Français)verachten(Deutsch)desprezar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddespise
  • depsise
  • desipse
  • despies
  • despisse
  • desppise
  • despsie
  • desspise
  • dsepise
  • edspise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddespise1depsise2desipse2despies2despisse1desppise1despsie2desspise1
Edit distance from "despise"

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 "despise"?
"despise" is spelled D-E-S-P-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈspaɪz/.
What does "despise" mean?
As a verb, "despise" means: To regard with contempt or scorn.
What words are commonly confused with "despise"?
"despise" is commonly confused with "devise", "despite", "dispose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "despise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "despise" is /dɪˈspaɪz/. 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 "despise"?
From Middle English despisen, from Old French despis-, stem of despire, from Latin dēspicere (“to look down upon, despise, scorn”), from dē (“down”) + speciō (“to look at”). Displaced native Old English forsēon. 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 "despise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

decency#14,932diocese#14,936footing#14,947centred#14,915

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

clueless10 variantsclowns10 variantsbroccoli10 variantsbounded10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list