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dispatch

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

8 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "dispatch", 8-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "dispatch" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "dispatch" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

dispatch is aEnglishverb. It means: To send (a shipment) with promptness. Pronounced /dɪˈspætʃ/. Often confused with dispatcher and despatch.

Key facts for dispatch
PropertyValue
Headworddispatch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈspætʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,198
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of dispatch in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for dispatch is 8 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈspætʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,198 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 13 documented wrong-spelling variants for dispatch, with forms such as "ddispatch", "dipsatch", and "disaptch". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "dispatcher", "despatch", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, replacing alternate reflex depeach, which is from French dépêcher. Further, several steps omitting, from Latin dis- + impedicō (whence impeach). The first known use in writing (in the past tense, spell… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is dispatch, spelled D-I-S-P-A-T-C-H, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To send (a shipment) with promptness.
  2. 2
    To send (a person) away hastily.
  3. 3
    To send (an important official message) promptly, by means of a diplomat or military officer.
  4. 4
    To send (a journalist) to a place in order to report.
  5. 5
    To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.
  6. 6
    To eat, especially quickly.
  7. 7
    To rid; to free.
  8. 8
    To destroy (someone or something) quickly and efficiently.
  9. 9
    To defeat
  10. 10
    To pass on for further processing, especially via a dispatch table (often with to).
  11. 11
    To hurry.
  12. 12
    To deprive.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, replacing alternate reflex depeach, which is from French dépêcher. Further, several steps omitting, from Latin dis- + impedicō (whence impeach). The first known use in writing (in the past tense, spelled as dispached) is by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1517. This would be unusually early for a borrowing from a Romance language other than French, but Tunstall had studied in Italy and was Commissioner to Spain, so this word may have been borrowed through diplomatic circles. The alternative spelling despatch was introduced in Samuel Johnson's dictionary, probably by accident. Compare typologically deliver (for the meaning to bring or transport) (< Latin dē- + līberō).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddispatch,dipsatch,disaptch,dispacth,dispatcch,dispatchh,dispathc,dispattch,disppatch,disptach,disspatch,dsipatch,idspatch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for dispatch

Misspelling Variants of "dispatch"

ddispatch9dipsatch8disaptch8dispacth8dispatcch9dispatchh9dispathc8dispattch9
Misspelling Variants of "dispatch"

Frequency rank: #10,198 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dispatch"?
"dispatch" is spelled D-I-S-P-A-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈspætʃ/.
What does "dispatch" mean?
As a verb, "dispatch" means: To send (a shipment) with promptness.
What words are commonly confused with "dispatch"?
"dispatch" is commonly confused with "dispatcher", "despatch". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dispatch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dispatch" is /dɪˈspætʃ/. 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 "dispatch"?
Borrowed from Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, replacing alternate reflex depeach, which is from French dépêcher. Further, several steps omitting, from Latin dis- + impedicō (whence impeach). The first known use in writing (in the past te... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter D in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.