disperse
dis·perse/dɪˈspɝs/verb, adjective
disperse is spelled D-I-S-P-E-R-S-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables (dis·perse). It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “disburse vs disperse” about 2,400 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, disperse means “To scatter in different directions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in disperse?
| Letters | 8: D-I-S-P-E-R-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: dis·perse |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is disperse?
Disperse appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce disperse?
- UK /dɪˈspɜːs/
- US /dɪˈspɝs/
Disperse has 2 syllables, split dis·perse in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-disperse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with disperse
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with disperse?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as disperse from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of disperse
- disperses present, singular, he/she/it
- dispersing participle, present
- dispersed participle, past
- more disperse comparative
- most disperse superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does disperse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To scatter in different directions.
The Jews are dispersed among all nations.
- 2
To break up and disappear; to dissipate.
- 3
To disseminate.
- 4
To separate rays of light, etc., according to wavelength; to refract.
- 5
To distribute throughout.
adjective
- 1
Scattered or spread out.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Disperse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | disperser, se disperser |
| German | zerstreuen, sich zerstreuen, verbreiten, verstreuen , dissipieren , verteilen |
| Portuguese | dispersar , dissipar , disseminar , refratar , distribuir |
| Spanish | dispersar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does disperse come from?
From Middle French disperser, from Latin dispersus, past participle of dispergō (“to scatter abroad, disperse”), from dis- (“apart”) + spargō (“to scatter”); see sparse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).