discomfiture
/dɪsˈkʌmfɪtʃə(ɹ)/noun
discomfiture is spelled D-I-S-C-O-M-F-I-T-U-R-E: 12 letters. It appears about once in every 23 million words in written English, the 146,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, discomfiture means “An emotional state similar to that arising from defeat; frustration, disappointment, perplexity or embarrassment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of discomfiture is discomfitures.
How many letters and syllables are in discomfiture?
| Letters | 12: D-I-S-C-O-M-F-I-T-U-R-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 23 million words; the 146,811th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is discomfiture?
Discomfiture appears about once in every 23 million words in written English, the 146,811th 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 discomfiture?
- UK /dɪsˈkʌmfɪtʃə(ɹ)/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-discomfiture.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of discomfiture
- discomfitures plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does discomfiture mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteDefeat in battle.
- 2
An emotional state similar to that arising from defeat; frustration, disappointment, perplexity or embarrassment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Discomfiture in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a feeling of frustration, disappointment, perplexity or embarrassment:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Unbehagen, Peinlichkeit |
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 discomfiture come from?
From Old French desconfiture (“rout, defeat”); compare French déconfiture.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).