disown

/dɪsˈəʊn/

//dɪsˈəʊn// verb

"disown" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“disown” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,659. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,659
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To refuse to own, or to refuse to acknowledge one’s own.

Corpus desk

Index EN-disown · disown · English

disown · rank #40,659 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,659
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disintegrating

Nearest frequency peer: disintegrating (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “disown”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “disown” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

disown vs down
67% similar
disown vs Dixon
50% similar
disown vs drown
67% similar

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

Key facts for disown
PropertyValue
Headworddisown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪsˈəʊn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,659
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “disown” sits in English frequency

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).disownlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “disintegrating” (#40,658), “dishing” (#40,657), “disengagement” (#40,656). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around disown (IPA /dɪsˈəʊn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,659 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for disown, with forms such as "ddisown", "dioswn", and "disonw". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "down", "Dixon", "drown", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dis- + own. The correct English form is disown, spelled D-I-S-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To refuse to own, or to refuse to acknowledge one’s own.
  2. 2
    To repudiate any connection to; to renounce.
  3. 3
    To detach (a job or process) so that it can continue to run even when the user who launched it ends his/her login session.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lord Capulet and his wife threatened to disown their daughter Juliet if she didn’t go through with marrying Count Paris.
  2. Here is a Proclamation for a Prince: that proclaims him in whoſe name it is emitted [James II of England], to be the greateſt Tyrant that ever lived in the world, and their Revolt who have diſowned him to be the juſteſt that ever was.

Etymology

From dis- + own.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddisown
  • dioswn
  • disonw
  • disownn
  • disowwn
  • dissown
  • diswon
  • dsiown
  • idsown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of disown - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddisown1dioswn2disonw2disownn1disowwn1dissown1diswon2dsiown2
Edit distance from "disown"

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 "disown"?
"disown" is spelled D-I-S-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈəʊn/.
What does "disown" mean?
As a verb, "disown" means: To refuse to own, or to refuse to acknowledge one’s own.
What words are commonly confused with "disown"?
"disown" is commonly confused with "down", "Dixon", "drown". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "disown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disown" is /dɪsˈəʊn/. 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 "disown"?
From dis- + own. 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 "disown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "disown". Here's where to go from here.

  • "disown" maps to 6 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "down". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #40,659 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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