discourteous

/dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs/

//dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs// adj

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

"discourteous" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“discourteous” is uncommon English (frequency #83,190 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,190
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Impolite; lacking consideration for others.

Key facts for discourteous
PropertyValue
Headworddiscourteous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs/
Letters12
Frequency rank#83,190
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “discourteous” 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). discourteous lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

discourteous is uncommon English at frequency #83,190 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Impolite; lacking consideration for others.".

No misspelling variants are generated for discourteous in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dis- + courteous. The correct English form is discourteous, spelled D-I-S-C-O-U-R-T-E-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Impolite; lacking consideration for others.

Etymology

From dis- + courteous.

Antonyms

courteous

This word in other languages

descortés(Español)discourtois(Français)descortês(Português)

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 "discourteous"?
"discourteous" is spelled D-I-S-C-O-U-R-T-E-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs/.
What does "discourteous" mean?
As an adjective, "discourteous" means: Impolite; lacking consideration for others.
How do you pronounce "discourteous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "discourteous" is /dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs/. 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 "discourteous"?
From dis- + courteous. 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.

Using “discourteous”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-C-O-U-R-T-E-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪsˈkɜːtɪəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list