distrust

/dɪsˈtɹʌst/

//dɪsˈtɹʌst// noun

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

The verdict

“distrust” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,122 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,122
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lack of trust or confidence.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

distrust vs disgust
75% similar
distrust vs disrupt
75% similar
distrust vs district
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for distrust
PropertyValue
Headworddistrust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪsˈtɹʌst/
Letters8
Frequency rank#17,122
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “distrust” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for distrust is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪsˈtɹʌst/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,122 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Lack of trust or confidence.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for distrust, with forms such as "ddistrust", "disrtust", and "disstrust". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "disgust", "disrupt", "district", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dis- + trust, alteration of the earlier term wantrust. The correct English form is distrust, spelled D-I-S-T-R-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lack of trust or confidence.

Etymology

From dis- + trust, alteration of the earlier term wantrust.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddistrust,disrtust,disstrust,distrrust,distrsut,distrusst,distrustt,distruts,disttrust,disturst,ditsrust,dsitrust,idstrust

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of distrust - 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.

ddistrust1disrtust2disstrust1distrrust1distrsut2distrusst1distrustt1distruts2
Edit distance from "distrust"

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 "distrust"?
"distrust" is spelled D-I-S-T-R-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈtɹʌst/.
What does "distrust" mean?
As a noun, "distrust" means: Lack of trust or confidence.
What words are commonly confused with "distrust"?
"distrust" is commonly confused with "disgust", "disrupt", "district". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "distrust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "distrust" is /dɪsˈtɹʌst/. 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 "distrust"?
From dis- + trust, alteration of the earlier term wantrust. 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.

Using “distrust”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-T-R-U-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪsˈtɹʌst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “disgust” - see the side-by-side comparison. distrust vs disgust
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list