decrease
/dɪˈkɹiːs/verb, noun
decrease is spelled D-E-C-R-E-A-S-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, decrease means “Of a quantity, to become smaller” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in decrease?
| Letters | 8: D-E-C-R-E-A-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,407th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is decrease?
Decrease appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th 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 decrease?
- /dɪˈkɹiːs/
- /ˈdiːkɹiːs/
Decrease 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: En-us-decrease.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of decrease
- decreases present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- decreasing participle, present
- decreased participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decrease mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
Of a quantity, to become smaller.
The quality of our products has decreased since the main designer left.
- 2
To make (a quantity) smaller.
Let's decrease the volume a little so we can hear each other talking.
noun
- 1
An amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased.
After six years of constant growth, the company reported a slight decrease in sales last year.
- 2
A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See Decrease (knitting).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate decrease?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of decrease: dec.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decrease in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diminuer , réduire |
| German | abnehmen , verringern , Verringerung |
| Portuguese | diminuir, reduzir , redução, diminuição |
| Spanish | mermar[se], descrecer, decrecer, decrementarse , mermar, decrementar |
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 decrease come from?
From Middle English decresen, alteration of discresen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French descreistre (French: décroître), from Latin decrescere.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).