displease

/dɪsˈpliːz/

//dɪsˈpliːz// verb

"displease" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“displease” is an uncommon English word, ranked #74,902 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#74,902
frequency rank, English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make not pleased; to cause a feeling of disapprobation or dislike in; to be disagreeable to; to vex slightly.

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Key facts for displease
PropertyValue
Headworddisplease
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪsˈpliːz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#74,902
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “displease” 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). displease 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 displease is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪsˈpliːz/. Corpus data places it at rank #74,902 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for displease in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: English dis- + please, from Middle English displesen, from Anglo-Norman despleisir, desplere, from Old French desplere (des- + plere). The correct English form is displease, spelled D-I-S-P-L-E-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make not pleased; to cause a feeling of disapprobation or dislike in; to be disagreeable to; to vex slightly.
  2. 2
    To give displeasure or offense.
  3. 3
    To fail to satisfy; to miss of.

Etymology

English dis- + please, from Middle English displesen, from Anglo-Norman despleisir, desplere, from Old French desplere (des- + plere).

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “displease, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/displease

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "displease"?
"displease" is spelled D-I-S-P-L-E-A-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈpliːz/.
What does "displease" mean?
As a verb, "displease" means: To make not pleased; to cause a feeling of disapprobation or dislike in; to be disagreeable to; to vex slightly.
How do you pronounce "displease"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "displease" is /dɪsˈpliːz/. 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 "displease"?
English dis- + please, from Middle English displesen, from Anglo-Norman despleisir, desplere, from Old French desplere (des- + plere). 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 “displease”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-P-L-E-A-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪsˈpliːz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter D in our English index:

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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