disallow
/ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/verb
disallow is spelled D-I-S-A-L-L-O-W: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, disallow means “To refuse to allow” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in disallow?
| Letters | 8: D-I-S-A-L-L-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,775th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is disallow?
Disallow appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce disallow?
- US /ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/
- Australia /ˌdɪsəˈlæɔ/
Disallow has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-disallow.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with disallow?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as disallow from its last stressed vowel (/aʊ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of disallow
- disallows present, singular, he/she/it
- disallowing participle, present
- disallowed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does disallow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To refuse to allow.
The prisoners were disallowed to contact with a lawyer.
- 2
To reject as invalid, untrue, or improper.
The goal was disallowed because the player was offside.
- 3
UKTo overrule a colonial legislation by the sovereign-in-privy council.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Disallow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to reject as invalid, untrue, or improper:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | nicht anerkennen |
| Spanish | rechazar como inválido, rechazar como falso, rechazar como impropio |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does disallow come from?
From Middle English disallowen, desallowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman desalouer, Old French desalöer. By surface analysis, dis- + allow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).