disservice
/dɪ(s)ˈsɝvɪs/noun, verb
disservice is spelled D-I-S-S-E-R-V-I-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, disservice means “Service that results in harm; an (intentionally or unintentionally) unhelpful, harmful action” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of disservice is disservices.
How many letters and syllables are in disservice?
| Letters | 10: D-I-S-S-E-R-V-I-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is disservice?
Disservice appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th 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 disservice?
- UK /dɪ(s)ˈsɜːvɪs/
- US /dɪ(s)ˈsɝvɪs/
Disservice 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-disservice.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with disservice?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as disservice from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹvɪs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of disservice
- disservices plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- disservicing participle, present
- disserviced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does disservice mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Service that results in harm; an (intentionally or unintentionally) unhelpful, harmful action.
One renders young people a disservice by heaping unearned rewards on them.
verb
- 1
To disserve, to provide a disservice to; to provide harmful or inadequate service to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Disservice in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense service that results in harm:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mauvais service, desservice |
| German | Bärendienst, schlechter Dienst, Schaden |
| Portuguese | desserviço |
| Spanish | flaco favor, deservicio |
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 disservice come from?
From dis- + service.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).