decelerate
/diːˈsɛləɹeɪt/verb
decelerate is spelled D-E-C-E-L-E-R-A-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, decelerate means “To reduce the velocity of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in decelerate?
| Letters | 10: D-E-C-E-L-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 68,248th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 decelerate?
Decelerate appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th 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 decelerate?
- UK /diːˈsɛləɹeɪt/
Decelerate has 4 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-decelerate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with decelerate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as decelerate from its last stressed vowel (/ɛləɹeɪt/, British pronunciation):
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 decelerate
- decelerates present, singular, he/she/it
- decelerating participle, present
- decelerated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decelerate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To reduce the velocity of something.
- 2
To reduce the rate of advancement of something, such as a disease.
- 3
To go slower.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decelerate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense reduce the velocity of something:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ralentir, décélérer |
| Spanish | desacelerar, decelerar |
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 decelerate come from?
Late 19th c., from de- + (ac)celerate. Compare deaccelerate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).