disallow

/ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/

//ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ// verb

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

"disallow" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“disallow” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,702. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,702
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To refuse to allow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-disallow · disallow · English

disallow · rank #48,702 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #48,702
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Devito

Nearest frequency peer: Devito (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “disallow”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

disallow vs disavow
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for disallow
PropertyValue
Headworddisallow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,702
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “disallow”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).disallowlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Devito” (#48,701), “despotic” (#48,700), “disgustingly” (#48,704). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “disallow” is #48,702. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around disallow (IPA /ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,702 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for disallow, with forms such as "ddisallow", "diasllow", and "disalloww". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "disavow", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English disallowen, desallowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman desalouer, Old French desalöer. By surface analysis, dis- + allow. The correct English form is disallow, spelled D-I-S-A-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To refuse to allow.
  2. 2
    To reject as invalid, untrue, or improper.
  3. 3
    To overrule a colonial legislation by the sovereign-in-privy council.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The prisoners were disallowed to contact with a lawyer.
  2. The goal was disallowed because the player was offside.

Etymology

From Middle English disallowen, desallowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman desalouer, Old French desalöer. By surface analysis, dis- + allow.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddisallow
  • diasllow
  • disalloww
  • disallwo
  • disalolw
  • disalow
  • dislalow
  • dissallow
  • dsiallow
  • idsallow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of disallow - 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.

ddisallow1diasllow2disalloww1disallwo2disalolw2disalow1dislalow2dissallow1
Edit distance from "disallow"

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 "disallow"?
"disallow" is spelled D-I-S-A-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/.
What does "disallow" mean?
As a verb, "disallow" means: To refuse to allow.
What words are commonly confused with "disallow"?
"disallow" is commonly confused with "disavow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "disallow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disallow" is /ˌdɪsəˈlaʊ/. 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 "disallow"?
From Middle English disallowen, desallowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman desalouer, Old French desalöer. By surface analysis, dis- + allow. 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 "disallow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

despotic#48,700doghouse#48,708Daedalus#48,691crunched#48,685

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

cumulus10 variantsequalize10 variantscoining10 variantsGarnier10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list