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Despair over "dispair": spelling it out

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 04/12/2024, 03:51

English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

Dispair or despair. What's correct?

Spelling error

Why do people make this mistake?

People often confuse "despair" with "dispair" due to the similar pronunciation and the common prefix "dis-" in English words, leading them to mistakenly spell it with an "i" instead of an "e". The correct prefix in "despair" is "de-", which comes from Latin, meaning "away" or "without", combined with "sperare" meaning "to hope". Therefore, "despair" means "without hope".

What is correct?

The correct spelling is "despair".

Examples of correct usage

She was in despair after hearing the bad news.
There is no need to fall into despair; things will get better.
He couldn't hide his deep despair over the situation.

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