discontinue

/dɪskənˈtɪnju/

//dɪskənˈtɪnju// verb

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

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

The verdict

“discontinue” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,036. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,036
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To interrupt the continuance of; to put an end to, especially as regards commercial productions; to stop producing, making, or supplying.

Corpus desk

Index EN-discontinue · discontinue · English

discontinue · rank #25,036 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #25,036
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH diseased

Nearest frequency peer: diseased (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “discontinue”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “discontinue” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

discontinue vs discontinued
92% similar

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

Key facts for discontinue
PropertyValue
Headworddiscontinue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪskənˈtɪnju/
Letters11
Frequency rank#25,036
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “discontinue” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around discontinue (IPA /dɪskənˈtɪnju/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,036 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for discontinue, with forms such as "ddiscontinue", "dicsontinue", and "disccontinue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "discontinued", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French descontinuer, equivalent to dis- + continue. The correct English form is discontinue, spelled D-I-S-C-O-N-T-I-N-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To interrupt the continuance of; to put an end to, especially as regards commercial productions; to stop producing, making, or supplying.
  2. 2
    To consciously cease the ingestion or administration of (a pharmaceutical drug).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They plan to discontinue that design.
  2. I have discontinued school Above a twelvemonth.

Etymology

From Old French descontinuer, equivalent to dis- + continue.

Synonyms

break offterminateintermit

Antonyms

continue

This word in other languages

descatalogar(Español)discontinuer(Français)einstellen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddiscontinue
  • dicsontinue
  • disccontinue
  • discnotinue
  • disconitnue
  • disconntinue
  • discontineu
  • discontinnue
  • discontiune
  • discontniue
  • disconttinue
  • discotninue
  • disocntinue
  • disscontinue
  • dsicontinue
  • idscontinue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of discontinue - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddiscontinue1dicsontinue2disccontinue1discnotinue2disconitnue2disconntinue1discontineu2discontinnue1
Edit distance from "discontinue"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "discontinue"?
"discontinue" is spelled D-I-S-C-O-N-T-I-N-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪskənˈtɪnju/.
What does "discontinue" mean?
As a verb, "discontinue" means: To interrupt the continuance of; to put an end to, especially as regards commercial productions; to stop producing, making, or supplying.
What words are commonly confused with "discontinue"?
"discontinue" is commonly confused with "discontinued". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "discontinue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "discontinue" is /dɪskənˈtɪnju/. 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 "discontinue"?
From Old French descontinuer, equivalent to dis- + continue. 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 "discontinue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

disgruntled#25,038Gainesville#25,068unspeakable#24,944spokeswoman#24,911

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

conspiring16 variantsabundantly16 variantsunilaterally16 variantsobservable16 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list