display

/dɪsˈpleɪ/

//dɪsˈpleɪ// noun

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

"display" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“display” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,339 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,339
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A show or spectacle.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

display vs displays
88% similar
display vs displayed
78% similar
display vs dismay
71% similar

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

Key facts for display
PropertyValue
Headworddisplay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪsˈpleɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,339
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “display” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for display is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪsˈpleɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,339 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for display, with forms such as "ddisplay", "dipslay", and "dislpay". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "displays", "displayed", "dismay", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English displayen, from Anglo-Norman despleier and Old French despleier, desploiier, from Medieval Latin displicare (“to unfold, display”), from Latin dis- (“apart”) + plicāre (“to fold”). Doublet of deploy. The correct English form is display, spelled D-I-S-P-L-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A show or spectacle.
  2. 2
    A piece of work to be presented visually.
  3. 3
    A device, furniture or marketing-oriented bulk packaging for visual presentation for sales promotion.
  4. 4
    An electronic screen that shows graphics or text.
  5. 5
    The presentation of information for visual or tactile reception.

Etymology

From Middle English displayen, from Anglo-Norman despleier and Old French despleier, desploiier, from Medieval Latin displicare (“to unfold, display”), from Latin dis- (“apart”) + plicāre (“to fold”). Doublet of deploy.

This word in other languages

demuestra(Español)représentation(Français)Vorführung(Deutsch)exposição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddisplay,dipslay,dislpay,dispaly,displayy,displlay,displya,dispplay,dissplay,dsiplay,idsplay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddisplay1dipslay2dislpay2dispaly2displayy1displlay1displya2dispplay1
Edit distance from "display"

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 "display"?
"display" is spelled D-I-S-P-L-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈpleɪ/.
What does "display" mean?
As a noun, "display" means: A show or spectacle.
What words are commonly confused with "display"?
"display" is commonly confused with "displays", "displayed", "dismay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "display"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "display" is /dɪsˈpleɪ/. 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 "display"?
From Middle English displayen, from Anglo-Norman despleier and Old French despleier, desploiier, from Medieval Latin displicare (“to unfold, display”), from Latin dis- (“apart”) + plicāre (“to fold”). Doublet of deploy. 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.

Using “display”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-P-L-A-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪsˈpleɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “displays” - see the side-by-side comparison. display vs displays
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list