displace

/dɪsˈpleɪs/

//dɪsˈpleɪs// verb

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

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

The verdict

“displace” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,005. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,005
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To put out of place; to disarrange.

Corpus desk

Index EN-displace · displace · English

displace · rank #30,005 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,005
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH displeased

Nearest frequency peer: displeased (+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 “displace”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “displace” 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).

displace vs display
75% similar
displace vs displays
75% similar
displace vs displayed
78% similar

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

Key facts for displace
PropertyValue
Headworddisplace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪsˈpleɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#30,005
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “displace”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “displeased” (#30,006), “discharging” (#30,003), “dived” (#30,007). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “displace” is #30,005. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around displace (IPA /dɪsˈpleɪs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #30,005 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for displace, with forms such as "ddisplace", "dipslace", and "dislpace". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "display", "displays", "displayed", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French desplacer (French: déplacer). The correct English form is displace, spelled D-I-S-P-L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To put out of place; to disarrange.
  2. 2
    To move something, or someone, especially to forcibly move people from their homeland.
  3. 3
    To supplant, or take the place of something or someone; to substitute.
  4. 4
    To replace, on account of being superior to or more suitable than that which is being replaced.
  5. 5
    To have a weight equal to that of the water displaced.
  6. 6
    To repress.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Manipur: Thousands displaced as ethnic clashes grip north-eastern state
  2. Electronic calculators soon displaced the older mechanical kind.

Etymology

From Middle French desplacer (French: déplacer).

This word in other languages

desahuciar(Español)umsiedeln(Deutsch)deslocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddisplace
  • dipslace
  • dislpace
  • dispalce
  • displacce
  • displaec
  • displcae
  • displlace
  • dispplace
  • dissplace
  • dsiplace
  • idsplace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddisplace1dipslace2dislpace2dispalce2displacce1displaec2displcae2displlace1
Edit distance from "displace"

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 "displace"?
"displace" is spelled D-I-S-P-L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈpleɪs/.
What does "displace" mean?
As a verb, "displace" means: To put out of place; to disarrange.
What words are commonly confused with "displace"?
"displace" is commonly confused with "display", "displays", "displayed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "displace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "displace" is /dɪsˈpleɪs/. 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 "displace"?
From Middle French desplacer (French: déplacer). 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 "displace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

demented#29,998deathbed#29,993deadlock#29,992eugenics#30,028

Similar misspelling depth

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

equalizer12 variantsfanciful12 variantscataract12 variantsCambrian12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list