subside

/sʌbˈsaɪd/

//sʌbˈsaɪd// verb

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

"subside" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“subside” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,866. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,866
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To sink or fall to the bottom; to settle, as lees.

Corpus desk

Index EN-subside · subside · English

subside · rank #33,866 · 10 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,866
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sul

Nearest frequency peer: Sul (+2 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 “subside”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “subside” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

subside vs Susie
57% similar
subside vs suicide
71% similar
subside vs subsidy
86% similar

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

Key facts for subside
PropertyValue
Headwordsubside
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/sʌbˈsaɪd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,866
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “subside”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).subsidelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Sul” (#33,868), “supp” (#33,869), “strongman” (#33,862). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “subside” is #33,866. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around subside (IPA /sʌbˈsaɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #33,866 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for subside, with forms such as "sbuside", "ssubside", and "subbside". 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. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Susie", "suicide", "subsidy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin subsīdō (“I settle, subside”). The correct English form is subside, spelled S-U-B-S-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To sink or fall to the bottom; to settle, as lees.
  2. 2
    To fall downward; to become lower; to descend; to sink.
  3. 3
    To fall into a state of calm; to be calm again; to settle down; to become tranquil.
  4. 4
    To cease talking.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An illuminating article in a recent issue of the Eastern Region's Civil Engineering News points out that where coal is worked over a reasonably large area, it is not only the whole of the strata above the workings, but also an area beyond which is liable to subside at varying rates after the coal has been removed.
  2. The sea subsides.

Etymology

From Latin subsīdō (“I settle, subside”).

This word in other languages

calmarse(Español)tomber(Français)einsinken(Deutsch)esvaziar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sbuside
  • ssubside
  • subbside
  • subisde
  • subsdie
  • subsidde
  • subsied
  • subsside
  • susbide
  • usbside

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sbuside2ssubside1subbside1subisde2subsdie2subsidde1subsied2subsside1
Edit distance from "subside"

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 "subside"?
"subside" is spelled S-U-B-S-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /sʌbˈsaɪd/.
What does "subside" mean?
As a verb, "subside" means: To sink or fall to the bottom; to settle, as lees.
What words are commonly confused with "subside"?
"subside" is commonly confused with "Susie", "suicide", "subsidy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "subside"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "subside" is /sʌbˈsaɪd/. 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 "subside"?
From Latin subsīdō (“I settle, subside”). 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 "subside", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tavares#33,875sonnets#33,854tucking#33,890tugging#33,891

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Schmitt10 variantsSaginaw10 variantsreagent10 variantspulaski10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list