disobey

/ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/

//ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ// verb

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

"disobey" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“disobey” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,689. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,689
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To refuse or (intentionally) fail to obey an order of (somebody).

Corpus desk

Index EN-disobey · disobey · English

disobey · rank #35,689 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #35,689
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dipshit

Nearest frequency peer: dipshit (-2 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 “disobey”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “disobey” 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).

disobey vs Disney
57% similar

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

Key facts for disobey
PropertyValue
Headworddisobey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,689
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “disobey”

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).disobeylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dipshit” (#35,687), “dipper” (#35,686), “diverge” (#35,692). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “disobey” is #35,689. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around disobey (IPA /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #35,689 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for disobey, with forms such as "ddisobey", "diosbey", and "disboey". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Disney", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French desobeir. The correct English form is disobey, spelled D-I-S-O-B-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To refuse or (intentionally) fail to obey an order of (somebody).
  2. 2
    To refuse or (intentionally) fail to obey.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. disobey the rules
  2. disobey your parents

Etymology

From Old French desobeir.

Synonyms

balkdeclinedisregarddisobeyignorerefuseunmind

Antonyms

obeyaccedeassentacquiescecomplyconformsubmityield

This word in other languages

desobedecer(Español)désobéir(Français)missachten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddisobey
  • diosbey
  • disboey
  • disobbey
  • disobeyy
  • disobye
  • disoeby
  • dissobey
  • dsiobey
  • idsobey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of disobey - 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.

ddisobey1diosbey2disboey2disobbey1disobeyy1disobye2disoeby2dissobey1
Edit distance from "disobey"

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 "disobey"?
"disobey" is spelled D-I-S-O-B-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/.
What does "disobey" mean?
As a verb, "disobey" means: To refuse or (intentionally) fail to obey an order of (somebody).
What words are commonly confused with "disobey"?
"disobey" is commonly confused with "Disney". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "disobey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disobey" is /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/. 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 "disobey"?
From Old French desobeir. 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 "disobey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dipshit#35,687diverge#35,692doughty#35,694drifter#35,696

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

dinghy10 variantsdauphin10 variantsenquirer10 variantsenslave10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list