disguise

/dɪsˈɡaɪz/

//dɪsˈɡaɪz// noun

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

"disguise" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“disguise” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,840 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,840
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Material (such as clothing, makeup, a wig) used to alter one’s visual appearance in order to hide one's identity or assume another.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

disguise vs disuse
75% similar
disguise vs disgust
75% similar
disguise vs disguised
89% similar

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

Key facts for disguise
PropertyValue
Headworddisguise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪsˈɡaɪz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,840
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “disguise” 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). disguise lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for disguise is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪsˈɡaɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,840 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for disguise, with forms such as "ddisguise", "digsuise", and "disgguise". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "disuse", "disgust", "disguised", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English disgisen, disguisen, borrowed from Old French desguiser (modern French déguiser), itself derived from des- (“dis-”) (from Latin dis-) + guise (“guise”) (from a Germanic source). The correct English form is disguise, spelled D-I-S-G-U-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Material (such as clothing, makeup, a wig) used to alter one’s visual appearance in order to hide one's identity or assume another.
  2. 2
    The appearance of something on the outside which masks what’s beneath.
  3. 3
    The act or state of disguising, notably as a ploy.
  4. 4
    A change of behaviour resulting from intoxication, drunkenness.

Etymology

From Middle English disgisen, disguisen, borrowed from Old French desguiser (modern French déguiser), itself derived from des- (“dis-”) (from Latin dis-) + guise (“guise”) (from a Germanic source).

Synonyms

camouflageguisemaskpretensegarb

This word in other languages

disfraz(Español)déguisement(Français)Verkleidung(Deutsch)disfarce(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddisguise,digsuise,disgguise,disgiuse,disguies,disguisse,disgusie,dissguise,disugise,dsiguise,idsguise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of disguise - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddisguise1digsuise2disgguise1disgiuse2disguies2disguisse1disgusie2dissguise1
Edit distance from "disguise"

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 "disguise"?
"disguise" is spelled D-I-S-G-U-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈɡaɪz/.
What does "disguise" mean?
As a noun, "disguise" means: Material (such as clothing, makeup, a wig) used to alter one’s visual appearance in order to hide one's identity or assume another.
What words are commonly confused with "disguise"?
"disguise" is commonly confused with "disuse", "disgust", "disguised". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "disguise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disguise" is /dɪsˈɡaɪz/. 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 "disguise"?
From Middle English disgisen, disguisen, borrowed from Old French desguiser (modern French déguiser), itself derived from des- (“dis-”) (from Latin dis-) + guise (“guise”) (from a Germanic source). 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 “disguise”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-G-U-I-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪsˈɡaɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “disuse” - see the side-by-side comparison. disguise vs disuse
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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