disfigure

/dɪsˈfɪɡə/

//dɪsˈfɪɡə// verb

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

"disfigure" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“disfigure” is uncommon English (frequency #81,273 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,273
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - to irreversibly damage the shape or structure of something, negatively affecting its appearance or functionality without completely destroying it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-disfigure · disfigure · English

disfigure · rank #81,273 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,273
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Diaby

Nearest frequency peer: Diaby (-4 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.

Long-tail ranks near “disfigure”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “disfigure” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for disfigure
PropertyValue
Headworddisfigure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪsˈfɪɡə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#81,273
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “disfigure” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).disfigurefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Diaby” (#81,269), “doggone” (#81,277), “donat” (#81,278). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “disfigure” is #81,273. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

disfigure is uncommon English at frequency #81,273 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪsˈfɪɡə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "to irreversibly damage the shape or structure of something, negatively affecting its appearance or functionality without completely destroying it.".

disfigure has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English disfiguren, from Anglo-Norman desfigurer. The correct English form is disfigure, spelled D-I-S-F-I-G-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    to irreversibly damage the shape or structure of something, negatively affecting its appearance or functionality without completely destroying it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His face was disfigured by a terrible fire many years ago, leaving deep scars across his crooked nose.
  2. The North British Railway was always anxious to connect its line to Helensburgh Pier but the local residents would not permit their foreshore or promenade to be disfigured, so the company had to resort further east and on May 18, 1882, opened the railway pier and station at Craigendoran.

Etymology

From Middle English disfiguren, from Anglo-Norman desfigurer.

Synonyms

leper

This word in other languages

desfigurar(Español)défigurer(Français)entstellen(Deutsch)desfigurar(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 "disfigure"?
"disfigure" is spelled D-I-S-F-I-G-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈfɪɡə/.
What does "disfigure" mean?
As a verb, "disfigure" means: to irreversibly damage the shape or structure of something, negatively affecting its appearance or functionality without completely destroying it.
How do you pronounce "disfigure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disfigure" is /dɪsˈfɪɡə/. 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 "disfigure"?
From Middle English disfiguren, from Anglo-Norman desfigurer. 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 "disfigure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

depositor#81,263ecclesial#81,291embargoed#81,296crowdfund#81,246

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list