dissuade

/dɪˈsweɪd/

//dɪˈsweɪd// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"dissuade" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dissuade” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,519. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,519
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To convince not to try or do.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dissuade · dissuade · English

dissuade · rank #28,519 · 9 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,519
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dissimilar

Nearest frequency peer: dissimilar (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dissuade”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “dissuade” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dissuade
PropertyValue
Headworddissuade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈsweɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,519
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dissuade”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).dissuadelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dissimilar” (#28,518), “distillation” (#28,520), “dissection” (#28,517). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dissuade” is #28,519. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dissuade (IPA /dɪˈsweɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #28,519 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To convince not to try or do.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dissuade, with forms such as "ddissuade", "dissaude", and "dissuadde". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French dissuader, from Latin dissuādeō (“I urge differently”, “I advise against”, “I dissuade”), from dis- (“away from”, “asunder”) + suādeō (“I recommend”, “I advise”, “I urge”). The correct English form is dissuade, spelled D-I-S-S-U-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To convince not to try or do.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Jane dissuaded Martha from committing suicide.

Etymology

From Middle French dissuader, from Latin dissuādeō (“I urge differently”, “I advise against”, “I dissuade”), from dis- (“away from”, “asunder”) + suādeō (“I recommend”, “I advise”, “I urge”).

Synonyms

unsell

Antonyms

persuade

This word in other languages

disuadir(Español)dissuader(Français)abbringen(Deutsch)dissuadir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddissuade
  • dissaude
  • dissuadde
  • dissuaed
  • dissudae
  • disuade
  • disusade
  • dsisuade
  • idssuade

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dissuade - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddissuade1dissaude2dissuadde1dissuaed2dissudae2disuade1disusade2dsisuade2
Edit distance from "dissuade"

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 "dissuade"?
"dissuade" is spelled D-I-S-S-U-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈsweɪd/.
What does "dissuade" mean?
As a verb, "dissuade" means: To convince not to try or do.
What are common misspellings of "dissuade"?
Common misspellings include "ddissuade", "dissaude", "dissuadde", "dissuaed", "dissudae". The correct spelling is "dissuade".
How do you pronounce "dissuade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dissuade" is /dɪˈsweɪd/. 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 "dissuade"?
From Middle French dissuader, from Latin dissuādeō (“I urge differently”, “I advise against”, “I dissuade”), from dis- (“away from”, “asunder”) + suādeō (“I recommend”, “I advise”, “I urge”). 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 "dissuade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dumfries#28,525eggplant#28,527fainting#28,544flagrant#28,550

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

ducked9 variantsDelphi9 variantsenmity9 variantscervix9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list