dispense

/dɪˈspɛns/

//dɪˈspɛns// verb

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

"dispense" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dispense” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,039. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,039
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To issue, distribute, or give out.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dispense · dispense · English

dispense · rank #25,039 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,039
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disgruntled

Nearest frequency peer: disgruntled (-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 “dispense”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dispense” 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).

dispense vs dispose
75% similar
dispense vs disperse
88% similar
dispense vs dispersed
78% similar

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

Key facts for dispense
PropertyValue
Headworddispense
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈspɛns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,039
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dispense”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).dispenselands 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 “disgruntled” (#25,038), “disqualification” (#25,040), “diseased” (#25,037). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dispense” is #25,039. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around dispense (IPA /dɪˈspɛns/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,039 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for dispense, with forms such as "ddispense", "dipsense", and "disepnse". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "dispose", "disperse", "dispersed", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, from Old French dispenser, from Latin dispēnsāre (“to weigh out, pay out, distribute, regulate, manage, control, dispense”), frequentative of dispendere (“to weigh out”), from dis- (“apart”) + pendere (“to weigh”). The correct English form is dispense, spelled D-I-S-P-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To issue, distribute, or give out.
  2. 2
    To apply, as laws to particular cases; to administer; to execute; to manage; to direct.
  3. 3
    To supply or make up a medicine or prescription.
  4. 4
    To give a dispensation to (someone); to excuse.
  5. 5
    To compensate; to make up; to make amends.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He is delighted to dispense a share of it to all the company.
  2. The smoky spray seemed to trap whatever light there was and to dispense it subtly.

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French dispenser, from Latin dispēnsāre (“to weigh out, pay out, distribute, regulate, manage, control, dispense”), frequentative of dispendere (“to weigh out”), from dis- (“apart”) + pendere (“to weigh”).

This word in other languages

administrar(Español)émettre(Français)ausgeben(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddispense
  • dipsense
  • disepnse
  • dispenes
  • dispennse
  • dispensse
  • dispesne
  • dispnese
  • disppense
  • disspense
  • dsipense
  • idspense

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddispense1dipsense2disepnse2dispenes2dispennse1dispensse1dispesne2dispnese2
Edit distance from "dispense"

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 "dispense"?
"dispense" is spelled D-I-S-P-E-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈspɛns/.
What does "dispense" mean?
As a verb, "dispense" means: To issue, distribute, or give out.
What words are commonly confused with "dispense"?
"dispense" is commonly confused with "dispose", "disperse", "dispersed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dispense"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dispense" is /dɪˈspɛns/. 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 "dispense"?
From Middle English, from Old French dispenser, from Latin dispēnsāre (“to weigh out, pay out, distribute, regulate, manage, control, dispense”), frequentative of dispendere (“to weigh out”), from dis- (“apart”) + pendere (“to weigh”). 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 "dispense", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

diseased#25,037derailed#25,032enacting#25,047cuddling#25,026

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

cyclops12 variantsethically12 variantsCochrane12 variantsbrooding12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list