debrief

Name: debrief, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/diːˈbɹiːf/

//diːˈbɹiːf// verb

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“debrief” is uncommon English (frequency #56,049 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,049
frequency rank, English: 26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To question someone after a military mission in order to obtain information (especially intelligence).

Key facts for debrief
Property	Value
Headword	debrief
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/diːˈbɹiːf/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#56,049
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “debrief” sits in English 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). debrief lands here:

#56,049

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

debrief is uncommon English at frequency #56,049 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /diːˈbɹiːf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for debrief, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + brief. The correct English form is debrief, spelled D-E-B-R-I-E-F.

Definition

1
To question someone after a military mission in order to obtain information (especially intelligence).
2
To question someone, or a group of people, after the implementation of a project, in order to learn from mistakes, etc.
3
To inform subjects of an experiment about what has happened in a complete and accurate manner.

Etymology

From de- + brief.

This word in other languages

débriefer(Français)vernehmen(Deutsch)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "debrief"?

"debrief" is spelled D-E-B-R-I-E-F. The IPA pronunciation is /diːˈbɹiːf/.

What does "debrief" mean?

As a verb, "debrief" means: To question someone after a military mission in order to obtain information (especially intelligence).

How do you pronounce "debrief"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "debrief" is /diːˈbɹiːf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "debrief"?

From de- + brief. See the full etymology section above for more details.

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 “debrief”

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

The one correct English spelling is D-E-B-R-I-E-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /diːˈbɹiːf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.