dislocate

/dɪsləʊˈkeɪt/

//dɪsləʊˈkeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“dislocate” is uncommon English (frequency #77,604 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,604
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To put something out of its usual place.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dislocate · dislocate · English

dislocate · rank #77,604 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,604
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disburse

Nearest frequency peer: disburse (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “dislocate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dislocate
PropertyValue
Headworddislocate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪsləʊˈkeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#77,604
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dislocate” 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).dislocatefalls 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: “disburse” (#77,603), “dimwitted” (#77,599), “DLF” (#77,609). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dislocate” is #77,604. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dislocate is uncommon English at frequency #77,604 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪsləʊˈkeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dislocate, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dis- + locate. The correct English form is dislocate, spelled D-I-S-L-O-C-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To put something out of its usual place.
  2. 2
    To emotionally jar, unsettle, or disorient.
  3. 3
    To (accidentally) dislodge a skeletal bone from its joint.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Jarman is out to shock us, not only with some explicit sexuality (as much as he can get away with and still have his film funded by the BBC) but also with a dislocating juxtaposition of historical detail and sensibility.
  2. Ne take noon hede to brynge togidere þe parties of þe boon þat is to-broken or dislocate, til viij. daies ben goon in þe wyntir, & v. in þe somer; for þanne it schal make quytture, and be sikir from swellynge; & þanne brynge togidere þe brynkis eiþer þe disiuncture after þe techynge þat schal be seid in þe chapitle of algebra.

Etymology

From dis- + locate.

This word in other languages

desencajar(Español)disloquer(Français)ausrenken(Deutsch)deslocar(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 "dislocate"?
"dislocate" is spelled D-I-S-L-O-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsləʊˈkeɪt/.
What does "dislocate" mean?
As a verb, "dislocate" means: To put something out of its usual place.
How do you pronounce "dislocate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dislocate" is /dɪsləʊˈkeɪt/. 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 "dislocate"?
From dis- + locate. 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 "dislocate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dimwitted#77,599dysphagia#77,625ebullient#77,628criterium#77,572

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list