destitute

Name: destitute, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/

//ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“destitute” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,396. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,396
frequency rank, English: 3,470
“D” headwords: 13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lacking something; devoid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-destitute · destitute · English

destitute · rank #26,396 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #26,396
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 13 variants
BOOK-MID 3,470
PHOTO-FINISH deliverance

Nearest frequency peer: deliverance (-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.

decrees

73,608
deliverance

73,606
destitute

73,605
devi

73,604
dexterity

73,603
dilution

73,601

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

Key facts for destitute
Property	Value
Headword	destitute
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#26,396
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “destitute”

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).destitutelands here:

#26,396

#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 “deliverance” (#26,395), “devi” (#26,397), “dexterity” (#26,398). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “destitute” is #26,396. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around destitute (IPA /ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,396 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for destitute, with forms such as "ddestitute", "desittute", and "desstitute". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English destitute, destitut, from Latin dēstitūtus. The correct English form is destitute, spelled D-E-S-T-I-T-U-T-E.

Definition

1
Lacking something; devoid.
2
Lacking money, poor, impoverished; especially, extremely so.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Now, though this region may scarcely be said to be wedded to science, being to all intents a virgin territory as respects the enquirer into natural history, still it is greatly destitute of the treasures of the vegetable kingdom.
In thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

Etymology

From Middle English destitute, destitut, from Latin dēstitūtus.

This word in other languages

indigente(Español)démuni(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ddestitute
desittute
desstitute
destittue
destittute
destituet
destitutte
destiutte
desttitute
desttiute
detsitute
dsetitute
edstitute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of destitute - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "destitute"

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 "destitute"?

"destitute" is spelled D-E-S-T-I-T-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/.

What does "destitute" mean?

As an adjective, "destitute" means: Lacking something; devoid.

What are common misspellings of "destitute"?

Common misspellings include "ddestitute", "desittute", "desstitute", "destittue", "destittute". The correct spelling is "destitute".

How do you pronounce "destitute"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "destitute" is /ˈdɛstɪtʃuːt/. 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 "destitute"?

From Middle English destitute, destitut, from Latin dēstitūtus. 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 "destitute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dexterity#26,398 drugstore#26,403 emphasise#26,410 circuitry#26,370

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

dissipated13 variants Cantonese13 variants Canadiens13 variants gamergate13 variants