dispel

[dɪˈspɛɫ]

/[dɪˈspɛɫ]/ verb

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

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

The verdict

“dispel” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,354. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,354
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To drive away or cause to vanish by scattering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dispel · dispel · English

dispel · rank #25,354 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,354
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dissident

Nearest frequency peer: dissident (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dispel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dispel” 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).

dispel vs distal
67% similar
dispel vs Disney
50% similar
dispel vs dishes
67% similar

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

Key facts for dispel
PropertyValue
Headworddispel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[dɪˈspɛɫ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,354
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dispel”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).dispellands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “dissident” (#25,355), “ditches” (#25,356), “Django” (#25,357). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dispel” is #25,354. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dispel (IPA [dɪˈspɛɫ]), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,354 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dispel, with forms such as "ddispel", "dipsel", and "disepl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "distal", "Disney", "dishes", 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 Middle English dispelen, from Latin dispellere (“to disperse; to dispel”). The correct English form is dispel, spelled D-I-S-P-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To drive away or cause to vanish by scattering.
  2. 2
    To remove (fears, doubts, objections etc.) by proving them unjustified.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The clouds and mist were soon enough dispelled by the sun.
  2. It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street.[…]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.

Etymology

From Middle English dispelen, from Latin dispellere (“to disperse; to dispel”).

This word in other languages

disipar(Español)chasser(Français)zerstreuen(Deutsch)dissipar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddispel
  • dipsel
  • disepl
  • dispell
  • disple
  • disppel
  • disspel
  • dsipel
  • idspel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dispel - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddispel1dipsel2disepl2dispell1disple2disppel1disspel1dsipel2
Edit distance from "dispel"

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 "dispel"?
"dispel" is spelled D-I-S-P-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [dɪˈspɛɫ].
What does "dispel" mean?
As a verb, "dispel" means: To drive away or cause to vanish by scattering.
What words are commonly confused with "dispel"?
"dispel" is commonly confused with "distal", "Disney", "dishes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dispel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dispel" is [dɪˈspɛɫ]. 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 "dispel"?
From Middle English dispelen, from Latin dispellere (“to disperse; to dispel”). 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 "dispel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Django#25,357elicit#25,372flimsy#25,387clancy#25,320

Similar misspelling depth

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

crypt9 variantscopious9 variantsgambit9 variantscaster9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list