dissemble
/dɪˈsɛmbəl/verb
dissemble is spelled D-I-S-S-E-M-B-L-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, dissemble means “To disguise or conceal something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dissemble?
| Letters | 9: D-I-S-S-E-M-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 111,684th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dissemble?
Dissemble appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dissemble?
- /dɪˈsɛmbəl/
- [dɪˈsɛmbɫ̩]
Dissemble has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-dissemble.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dissemble
- dissembles present, singular, he/she/it
- dissembling participle, present
- dissembled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dissemble mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disguise or conceal something.
- 2
To feign, dissimulate.
- 3
To deliberately ignore something; to pretend not to notice.
- 4
To falsely hide one's opinions or feelings.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dissemble in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dissimuler |
| German | verbergen , vortäuschen , verhehlen , sich nichts anmerken lassen, sich verstellen |
| Spanish | disimular |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dissemble come from?
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. Displaced native Old English mīþan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).