predestine

/pɹeˈdɛstɪn/

//pɹeˈdɛstɪn// verb

"predestine" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“predestine” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To determine the future or the fate of something in advance; to preordain.

Corpus desk

Index EN-predestine · predestine · English

predestine · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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.

Key facts for predestine
PropertyValue
Headwordpredestine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹeˈdɛstɪn/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “predestine” in English

predestinesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

predestine is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /pɹeˈdɛstɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

predestine has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French prédestiner, from Medieval Latin praedestinare. By surface analysis, pre- + destine. Displaced native Old English foreteohhian. The correct English form is predestine, spelled P-R-E-D-E-S-T-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To determine the future or the fate of something in advance; to preordain.
  2. 2
    To foreordain by divine will.

Etymology

From Old French prédestiner, from Medieval Latin praedestinare. By surface analysis, pre- + destine. Displaced native Old English foreteohhian.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "predestine"?
"predestine" is spelled P-R-E-D-E-S-T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹeˈdɛstɪn/.
What does "predestine" mean?
As a verb, "predestine" means: To determine the future or the fate of something in advance; to preordain.
How do you pronounce "predestine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "predestine" is /pɹeˈdɛstɪn/. 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 "predestine"?
From Old French prédestiner, from Medieval Latin praedestinare. By surface analysis, pre- + destine. Displaced native Old English foreteohhian. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list