displeasing

/dɪsˈpliːzɪŋ/

//dɪsˈpliːzɪŋ// adj

"displeasing" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“displeasing” is uncommon English (frequency #82,234 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,234
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unattractive, dislikable, objectionable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-displeasing · displeasing · English

displeasing · rank #82,234 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,234
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dispassionate…

Nearest frequency peer: dispassionately (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “displeasing”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “displeasing” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for displeasing
PropertyValue
Headworddispleasing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪsˈpliːzɪŋ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#82,234
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “displeasing” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “dispassionately” (#82,233), “divot” (#82,235), “dilatation” (#82,231). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “displeasing” is #82,234. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

displeasing is uncommon English at frequency #82,234 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /dɪsˈpliːzɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Unattractive, dislikable, objectionable.".

displeasing has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Perhaps a calque of Old French desplaisant, from the verb desplere (“to displease”). By surface analysis, dis- + pleasing. The correct English form is displeasing, spelled D-I-S-P-L-E-A-S-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unattractive, dislikable, objectionable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After the hurricane, the building was structurally sound but aesthetically displeasing'Bold text'.
  2. Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice; […]

Etymology

Perhaps a calque of Old French desplaisant, from the verb desplere (“to displease”). By surface analysis, dis- + pleasing.

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 "displeasing"?
"displeasing" is spelled D-I-S-P-L-E-A-S-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈpliːzɪŋ/.
What does "displeasing" mean?
As an adjective, "displeasing" means: Unattractive, dislikable, objectionable.
How do you pronounce "displeasing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "displeasing" is /dɪsˈpliːzɪŋ/. 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 "displeasing"?
Perhaps a calque of Old French desplaisant, from the verb desplere (“to displease”). By surface analysis, dis- + pleasing. 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 "displeasing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list