deflate
de·flate/diːˈfleɪt/verb
deflate is spelled D-E-F-L-A-T-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (de·flate). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, deflate means “To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in deflate?
| Letters | 7: D-E-F-L-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: de·flate |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd 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; 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 deflate?
Deflate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd 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 deflate?
- UK /diːˈfleɪt/
- UK /dɪˈfleɪt/
Deflate has 2 syllables, split de·flate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-deflate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with deflate?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as deflate from its last stressed vowel (/eɪt/, 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 deflate
- deflates present, singular, he/she/it
- deflating participle, present
- deflated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deflate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To remove air or some other gas from within an elastic container, e.g. a balloon or tyre.
- 2
To cause an object to decrease or become smaller in some parameter, e.g. to shrink
- 3
To reduce the amount of available currency or credit and thus lower prices.
- 4
To become deflated.
- 5
To let (someone) down, disappoint them, or put them in their place.
deflate someone's ego
- 6
To compress (data) according to a particular algorithm.
- 7
slangTo belch or flatulate
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deflate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense reduction, usually in volume:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dégonfler, désenfler |
| German | entleeren, sich entleeren, ablassen, leeren, verkleinern, verringern |
| Portuguese | desinflar, murchar, esvaziar |
| Spanish | desinflar, deshinchar |
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 deflate come from?
From de- + (in)flate. Coined in 1891, in reference to balloons. Equivalent to Latin dē- (“away, from”) + Latin flō (“blow”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).