despondent

/dɪˈspɒndənt/

//dɪˈspɒndənt// adj

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

"despondent" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“despondent” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,602. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,602
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-despondent · despondent · English

despondent · rank #42,602 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #42,602
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH despot

Nearest frequency peer: despot (+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 “despondent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “despondent” 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).

despondent vs dependent
80% similar

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

Key facts for despondent
PropertyValue
Headworddespondent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈspɒndənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#42,602
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “despondent”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).despondentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “despot” (#42,603), “dialectical” (#42,605), “Deerfield” (#42,598). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “despondent” is #42,602. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around despondent (IPA /dɪˈspɒndənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #42,602 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for despondent, with forms such as "ddespondent", "depsondent", and "desopndent". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "dependent", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dēspondēns, from the verb despondere (“to give up, to abandon”). The correct English form is despondent, spelled D-E-S-P-O-N-D-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen.
  2. “Last year, I was despondent that it was so hard to dislodge the iron grip of Google,” said Sridhar Ramaswamy, who previously oversaw advertising for Google, including Search ads, and now runs Neeva. “But technological moments like this create an opportunity for more competition.”

Etymology

From Latin dēspondēns, from the verb despondere (“to give up, to abandon”).

Synonyms

crestfallendespairingdisconsolatedishearteneddejecteddowncastgloomyheartsickhopelessmiserablesad

Antonyms

cheerfulhopeful

This word in other languages

abatido(Español)déprimé(Français)mutlos(Deutsch)abatido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddespondent
  • depsondent
  • desopndent
  • despnodent
  • despodnent
  • desponddent
  • despondennt
  • despondentt
  • despondetn
  • despondnet
  • desponednt
  • desponndent
  • desppondent
  • desspondent
  • dsepondent
  • edspondent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of despondent - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddespondent1depsondent2desopndent2despnodent2despodnent2desponddent1despondennt1despondentt1
Edit distance from "despondent"

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 "despondent"?
"despondent" is spelled D-E-S-P-O-N-D-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈspɒndənt/.
What does "despondent" mean?
As an adjective, "despondent" means: In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
What words are commonly confused with "despondent"?
"despondent" is commonly confused with "dependent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "despondent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "despondent" is /dɪˈspɒndənt/. 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 "despondent"?
From Latin dēspondēns, from the verb despondere (“to give up, to abandon”). 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 "despondent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

digestible#42,606congestive#42,585fearlessly#42,638fortuitous#42,648

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

dialectical16 variantsFramingham16 variantsbodyweight16 variantsgoalkeeping16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list