discourage

/dɪsˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒ/

//dɪsˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒ// verb

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

"discourage" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“discourage” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,498. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,498
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject.

Corpus desk

Index EN-discourage · discourage · English

discourage · rank #13,498 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,498
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deserving

Nearest frequency peer: deserving (-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 “discourage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “discourage” 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).

discourage vs discourse
80% similar
discourage vs discouraged
91% similar

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

Key facts for discourage
PropertyValue
Headworddiscourage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪsˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#13,498
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “discourage”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).discouragelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “deserving” (#13,497), “disgusted” (#13,499), “deportation” (#13,496). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “discourage” is #13,498. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around discourage (IPA /dɪsˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,498 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for discourage, with forms such as "ddiscourage", "dicsourage", and "disccourage". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "discourse", "discouraged", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French descourager (modern French décourager), from Old French descouragier, from des- and corage. By surface analysis, dis- + courage. The correct English form is discourage, spelled D-I-S-C-O-U-R-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject.
  2. 2
    To persuade somebody not to do (something).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Don't be discouraged by the amount of work left to do: you'll finish it in good time.
  2. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

Etymology

From Middle French descourager (modern French décourager), from Old French descouragier, from des- and corage. By surface analysis, dis- + courage.

Synonyms

dauntdeterdissuade

Antonyms

encourage

This word in other languages

descorazonar(Español)décourager(Français)entmutigen(Deutsch)desencorajar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddiscourage
  • dicsourage
  • disccourage
  • discoruage
  • discouarge
  • discouraeg
  • discouragge
  • discourgae
  • discourrage
  • discuorage
  • disocurage
  • disscourage
  • dsicourage
  • idscourage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddiscourage1dicsourage2disccourage1discoruage2discouarge2discouraeg2discouragge1discourgae2
Edit distance from "discourage"

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 "discourage"?
"discourage" is spelled D-I-S-C-O-U-R-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "discourage" mean?
As a verb, "discourage" means: To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject.
What words are commonly confused with "discourage"?
"discourage" is commonly confused with "discourse", "discouraged". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "discourage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "discourage" is /dɪsˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "discourage"?
From Middle French descourager (modern French décourager), from Old French descouragier, from des- and corage. By surface analysis, dis- + courage. 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 "discourage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disposable#13,500distressed#13,501concession#13,489combustion#13,487

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

deserving14 variantsdisgusted14 variantscartridge14 variantsindicative14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list