deconstruction
/diːkənˈstɹʌkʃən/noun
deconstruction is spelled D-E-C-O-N-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-O-N: 14 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deconstruction means “A philosophical theory of textual criticism; a form of critical analysis that emphasizes inquiry into the variable projection of the meaning and…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deconstruction is deconstructions.
How many letters and syllables are in deconstruction?
| Letters | 14: D-E-C-O-N-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,504th 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 deconstruction?
Deconstruction appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th 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 deconstruction?
- UK /diːkənˈstɹʌkʃən/
- UK /diːkənˈstɹʊkʃən/
Deconstruction 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-deconstruction.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with deconstruction?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as deconstruction from its last stressed vowel (/ʌkʃən/, 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 deconstruction
- deconstructions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deconstruction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A philosophical theory of textual criticism; a form of critical analysis that emphasizes inquiry into the variable projection of the meaning and message of critical works, the meaning in relation to the reader and the intended audience, and the assumptions implicit in the embodied forms of expression.
- 2
The destroying or taking apart of an object; disassembly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deconstruction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a philosophical theory of textual criticism:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | desconstrucionismo, desconstrução |
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 deconstruction come from?
From de- + construction or deconstruct + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).