Q:

Which is the proper spelling: "disfunction" or "dysfunction"?

Is this word spelt dysfunction or disfunction?
Are there any correct spellings at all for this word?
The reason I asked is because I've always learned to spell it as "disfunction" until recently, when I realized I'm starting to see more of "dysfunction"

A:

Dysfunction is by far the more common according to Google Ngrams

A:

Hugo found a useful thread at Word Reference.
It points out that dys- is Greek in origin, and means "bad or difficult" and that function is Latin in origin and means "an activity that is natural to or the purpose of a person or thing". It goes on to say that the combination of Greek and Latin is somewhat odd, especially since dys-'s homophone dis- is Latin (but it does not mean the same as dys-).
The dis- prefix doesn't work for dysfunction because its meanings (as explained here) are not the same as dys-, so they would change the meaning of dysfunction.
The correct spelling is dysfunction. It would not surprise me, however, if disfunction became an accepted spelling, because it just seems more normal.

