dissemble
/dɪˈsɛmbəl/
"dissemble" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dissemble” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To disguise or conceal something.
Corpus desk
Index EN-dissemble · dissemble · English
dissemble · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "D" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dissemble |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /dɪˈsɛmbəl/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “dissemble” in English
Rare enough to double-check
dissemble is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪˈsɛmbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
dissemble doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the beginning of the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dissemblen, dissimblen, dissemelen, borrowed from Old French dessambler, dissembler, disembler, itself borrowed from Latin dissimulō and modified after sem… The correct English form is dissemble, spelled D-I-S-S-E-M-B-L-E.
Definition
- 1To disguise or conceal something.
- 2To feign, dissimulate.
- 3To deliberately ignore something; to pretend not to notice.
- 4To falsely hide one's opinions or feelings.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how dissemble appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Dissemble all your griefs and discontents.
Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in ſundry places to acknowledge, and confeſs our manifold ſins and wickedneſs, and that we ſhould not diſſemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father, […]
Etymology
First attested in the beginning of the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dissemblen, dissimblen, dissemelen, borrowed from Old French dessambler, dissembler, disembler, itself borrowed from Latin dissimulō and modified after sembler, semblance, etc. Doublet of dissimulate, dissimilate, and dissimule.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.