dilapidate
/dɪˈlæp.ɪ.deɪt/
"dilapidate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dilapidate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause to become ruined or put into disrepair.
Corpus desk
Index EN-dilapidate · dilapidate · English
dilapidate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "D" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dilapidate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /dɪˈlæp.ɪ.deɪt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “dilapidate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
dilapidate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪˈlæp.ɪ.deɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for dilapidate in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dilapidō (“to scatter, consume, throw away”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from dis- (“asunder”) + lapidō (“to stone”), from lapis (“stone”). Compare French dilapider. The correct English form is dilapidate, spelled D-I-L-A-P-I-D-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To cause to become ruined or put into disrepair.
- 2To squander or waste.
- 3To fall into ruin or disuse.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how dilapidate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If the bishop, parson, or vicar, etc., dilapidates the buildings, or cuts down the timber of the patrimony[…]
In the last days of autumn he had whitewashed the chalet, painted the doors, windows, and veranda, repaired the roof and interior, and improved the place so much that the landlord had warned him that the rent would be raised at the expiration of his twelvemonth's tenancy, remarking that a tenant could not reasonably expect to have a pretty, rain-tight dwe…
Etymology
From Latin dilapidō (“to scatter, consume, throw away”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from dis- (“asunder”) + lapidō (“to stone”), from lapis (“stone”). Compare French dilapider.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.