debase
/dɪˈbeɪs/verb
debase is spelled D-E-B-A-S-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, debase means “To lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in debase?
| Letters | 6: D-E-B-A-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 84,254th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is debase?
Debase appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th 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 debase?
- UK /dɪˈbeɪs/
Debase has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-debase.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with debase?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as debase (/eɪs/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: seabed.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of debase
- debases present, singular, he/she/it
- debasing participle, present
- debased participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does debase mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade.
- 2
archaicTo lower in position or rank.
- 3
To lower the value of (a currency) by reducing the amount of valuable metal in the coins.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Debase in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lower in character, etc:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | abâtardir |
| German | erniedrigen, entwürdigen, herabsetzen, mindern, verschlechtern, abwerten |
| Portuguese | rebaixar |
| Spanish | envilecer, degradar, viciar |
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 debase come from?
From de- + base, from Old French bas, from Latin bassus. Cognate with Spanish debajo (“under, beneath, below”). Compare abase.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).