decline
de·cline/dɪˈklaɪn/noun, verb
decline is spelled D-E-C-L-I-N-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (de·cline). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, decline means “Downward movement, fall” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of decline is declines.
How many letters and syllables are in decline?
| Letters | 7: D-E-C-L-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: de·cline |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,612th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is decline?
Decline appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th 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 decline?
- /dɪˈklaɪn/
Decline has 2 syllables, split de·cline in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-decline.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of decline
- declines plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- declining participle, present
- declined participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decline mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Downward movement, fall.
The aircraft went into a sudden decline before the pilot regained control.
- 2
A sloping downward, e.g. of a hill or road.
After taking a right from that turn a decline will come into view.
- 3
A deterioration of condition; a weakening or worsening.
He has experienced a sudden decline in his health.
- 4
A reduction or diminution of activity, prevalence or quantity.
Population decline is a major concern.
- 5
The act of declining or refusing something.
verb
- 1
To move downwards, to fall, to drop.
The dollar has declined rapidly since 2001.
- 2
To become weaker or worse.
My health declined in winter.
- 3
To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall.
- 4
To cause to decrease or diminish.
- 5
To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw.
a line that declines from straightness
- 6
To choose not to do something; refuse, forbear, refrain.
On reflection I think I will decline your generous offer.
- 7
To inflect for case, number, gender, and the like.
- 8
To recite all the different declined forms of (a word): to recite its declension.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decline in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déclin , décliner, péricliter , refuser |
| German | Sinken, Fall , Gefälle , Abnahme, Rückgang, Schwächung |
| Portuguese | declínio , recusar , declive , declinar |
| Spanish | periclitar, declinar , declive, retroceso, decadencia, declinación |
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 decline come from?
From Middle English declinen, and ultimately Latin declīnō (“to bend, turn aside, deflect, inflect, decline”, from dē- (“down”) + clīnō (“to bend, to incline”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).