destitution

/dɛstɪˈtuːʃən/

//dɛstɪˈtuːʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“destitution” is uncommon English (frequency #57,336 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,336
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of deserting or abandoning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-destitution · destitution · English

destitution · rank #57,336 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,336
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH depressingly

Nearest frequency peer: depressingly (-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 “destitution”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for destitution
PropertyValue
Headworddestitution
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɛstɪˈtuːʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#57,336
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “destitution” in English

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).destitutionfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “depressingly” (#57,335), “deplore” (#57,334), “Deville” (#57,338). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “destitution” is #57,336. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

destitution is uncommon English at frequency #57,336 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɛstɪˈtuːʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for destitution in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French destitution, from Latin dēstitūtiō (“abandoning”), from dēstituō. The correct English form is destitution, spelled D-E-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of deserting or abandoning.
  2. 2
    Discharge from office; dismissal.
  3. 3
    The condition of lacking something.
  4. 4
    An extreme state of poverty, in which a person is almost completely lacking in resources or means of support.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He requires of his fellow man obedience to a very creditable code of morals, but he observes without shame or disapproval his God's utter destitution of morals.
  2. Destitution forces many asylum seekers to end up working for extremely low wages in catering, cleaning and construction, for example, without any protection against unscrupulous employers.

Etymology

From Old French destitution, from Latin dēstitūtiō (“abandoning”), from dēstituō.

This word in other languages

inopia(Español)dénuement(Français)Armut(Deutsch)destituição(Português)

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 "destitution"?
"destitution" is spelled D-E-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛstɪˈtuːʃən/.
What does "destitution" mean?
As a noun, "destitution" means: The action of deserting or abandoning.
How do you pronounce "destitution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "destitution" is /dɛstɪˈtuːʃən/. 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 "destitution"?
From Old French destitution, from Latin dēstitūtiō (“abandoning”), from dēstituō. 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 "destitution", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deliverable#57,331disillusion#57,344commutation#57,300eschatology#57,374

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list