destabilise

/diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/

//diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz// verb

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

"destabilise" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“destabilise” is uncommon English (frequency #73,118 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,118
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make something unstable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-destabilise · destabilise · English

destabilise · rank #73,118 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,118
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH despondency

Nearest frequency peer: despondency (-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 “destabilise”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for destabilise
PropertyValue
Headworddestabilise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/
Letters11
Frequency rank#73,118
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “destabilise” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).destabilisefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “despondency” (#73,117), “dentin” (#73,116), “detracting” (#73,122). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “destabilise” is #73,118. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

destabilise is uncommon English at frequency #73,118 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for destabilise, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + stabilise. The correct English form is destabilise, spelled D-E-S-T-A-B-I-L-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make something unstable.
  2. 2
    To undermine a government, especially by means of subversion or terrorism.
  3. 3
    To become unstable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The route had been closed on December 30 2022, after heavy rain destabilised the foundations beneath more than 40 metres of the railway.

Etymology

From de- + stabilise.

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 "destabilise"?
"destabilise" is spelled D-E-S-T-A-B-I-L-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/.
What does "destabilise" mean?
As a verb, "destabilise" means: To make something unstable.
How do you pronounce "destabilise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "destabilise" is /diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/. 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 "destabilise"?
From de- + stabilise. 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 "destabilise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

despondency#73,117debilitated#73,112clusterfuck#73,077Christiania#73,064

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list