crestfallen
/ˈkɹɛstfɔlən/adjective
crestfallen is spelled C-R-E-S-T-F-A-L-L-E-N: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 78,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, crestfallen means “Sad because of a disappointment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in crestfallen?
| Letters | 11: C-R-E-S-T-F-A-L-L-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 78,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is crestfallen?
Crestfallen appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 78,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce crestfallen?
- UK /ˈkɹɛstfɔːlən/
- US /ˈkɹɛstfɔlən/
- /ˈkɹɛstfɑlən/
Crestfallen has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-crestfallen.ogg, En-au-crestfallen.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of crestfallen
- more crestfallen comparative
- most crestfallen superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does crestfallen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sad because of a disappointment.
- 2
obsoleteHaving the crest, or upper part of the neck, hanging to one side.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Crestfallen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déçu, abattu |
| German | enttäuscht, geknickt , niedergeschlagen |
| Portuguese | cabisbaixo |
| Spanish | alicaído, abatido, cariacontecido, de capa caída , murrio |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does crestfallen come from?
From crest + fallen, from the appearance of a horse with its crest (head) on its chest after defeat in a battle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).