disperse

\dis.pɛʁs\

/\dis.pɛʁs\/ verb

The verdict

“disperse” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #33,641 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#33,641
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de disperser.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

disperse vs dispose
75% similar
disperse vs diverse
75% similar
disperse vs disperser
89% similar

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

Key facts for disperse
PropertyValue
Headworddisperse
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\dis.pɛʁs\
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,641
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “disperse” sits in French 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). disperse 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 French entry for disperse is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \dis.pɛʁs\. Corpus data places it at rank #33,641 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for disperse, with forms such as "ddisperse", "dipserse", and "diseprse". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "dispose", "diverse", "disperser", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is disperse, spelled D-I-S-P-E-R-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de disperser.
  2. 2
    Troisième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de disperser.
  3. 3
    Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de disperser.
  4. 4
    Troisième personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de disperser.
  5. 5
    Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif de disperser.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddisperse,dipserse,diseprse,disperes,disperrse,dispersse,dispesre,dispperse,disprese,dissperse,dsiperse,idsperse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of disperse - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddisperse1dipserse2diseprse2disperes2disperrse1dispersse1dispesre2dispperse1
Edit distance from "disperse"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "disperse"?
"disperse" is spelled D-I-S-P-E-R-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \dis.pɛʁs\.
What does "disperse" mean?
As a verb, "disperse" means: Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de disperser.
What words are commonly confused with "disperse"?
"disperse" is commonly confused with "dispose", "diverse", "disperser". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "disperse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disperse" is \dis.pɛʁs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "disperse" come from?
"disperse" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “disperse”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-I-S-P-E-R-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dis.pɛʁs\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dispose” - see the side-by-side comparison. disperse vs dispose
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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