Skip to main content
PlainSpell

default

de·faultUK /dɪˈfɒlt/noun, verb

default is spelled D-E-F-A-U-L-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (de·fault). It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, default means “The condition of failing to meet an obligation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of default is defaults.

How many letters and syllables are in default?

Letters7: D-E-F-A-U-L-T
Syllables2: de·fault
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,365th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is default?

Default appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th 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 default?

  • UK /dɪˈfɒlt/
  • UK /ˈdiːˌfɒlt/
  • UK /dɪˈfɔːlt/

As a verb (“To fail to appear and answer a summons and complaint”): /dɪˈfɒlt/, /dɪˈfɔːlt/, /dɪˈfɔlt/.

Default has 2 syllables, split de·fault in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-default1.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-default2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with default?

5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as default from its last stressed vowel (/ɔlt/):

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 default

  • defaults plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • defaulting participle, present
  • defaulted participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does default mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The condition of failing to meet an obligation.

    He failed to make payments on time, and he is now in default.

  2. 2

    The condition of being an obligation that has not been met.

    The deadline has passed, so the debt is now in default.

  3. 3

    the original software programming settings as set by the factory

  4. 4

    A loss incurred by failing to compete.

    The team's three losses include one default.

  5. 5

    A selection made in the absence of an alternative.

    The man became the leader of the group as a default.

  6. 6

    A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.

    If you don't specify a number of items, the default is 1.

  7. 7

    The failure of a defendant to appear and answer a summons and complaint.

  8. 8

    obsoleteA failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires.

    This evil has happened through the governor's default.

verb

  1. 1

    To fail to appear and answer a summons and complaint.

  2. 2

    To fail to fulfill a financial obligation.

    to default on a loan

  3. 3

    To lose a competition by failing to compete.

    If you refuse to wear a proper uniform, you will not be allowed to compete and will default this match.

  4. 4

    To assume a value when none was given; to presume a tentative value or standard.

    If you don't specify a color, it defaults to red.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Default in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchdéfaut, non-respect (finance: condition of failing to meet an…), paramètres par défaut, paramètres usine (electronics, computing: original settings), valeur par défaut (value used when none has been given)
GermanFristversäumnis, Säumnis, Zahlungseinstellung, Zahlungsverzug, Nichtzahlung, Zahlungsausfall (finance: condition of failing to meet an…)
Portugueseinadimplência (finance: condition of failing to meet an…), configuração inicial, default, configuração padrão, predefinição, predeterminado (electronics, computing: original settings)
Spanishmora, default (finance: condition of failing to meet an…), preconfiguración (electronics, computing: original settings), prevalor (value used when none has been given), preselección (selection made in the absence of an alternative), faltar (finance: to fail to fulfill a financial…)

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 default come from?

From Middle English defaut, defaute, from Old French defaute (“fault, defect, failure, culpability, lack”), ultimately from Latin de- (“away”) + fallo (“deceive, cheat, escape notice of”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after default