# disparate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈdɪsp(ə)ɹət/ · frequency rank #20,614

## Definitions
1. Composed of inherently different or distinct elements; incongruous.
2. Essentially different; of different species, unlike but not opposed in pairs.
3. Utterly unlike; incapable of being compared; having no common ground.

## Etymology
First attested in 1586; either borrowed from Middle French desparat or directly from Latin disparātus, perfect passive participle of disparō (“to divide”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from dis- (“apart”) + parō (“to arrange”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”) and the root *per- (“carry forth”).

## Easily confused with
- **disparity** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/disparate-vs-disparity)
- **desperate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desperate-vs-disparate)
- **disparage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/disparage-vs-disparate)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ddisparate`, `dipsarate`, `disaprate`, `dispaarte`, `disparaet`, `disparatte`, `disparrate`, `dispartae`, `dispparate`, `dispraate`, `dissparate`, `dsiparate`, `idsparate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/disparate