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PlainSpell

defuse

/diːˈfjuːz/verb

defuse is spelled D-E-F-U-S-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “defuse vs diffuse” about 1,900 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, defuse means “To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in defuse?

Letters6: D-E-F-U-S-E
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).

How common is defuse?

Defuse appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th 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 defuse?

  • /diːˈfjuːz/

As a verb (“To disorder; to make shapeless”): /dɪˈfjuːz/.

Defuse 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-defuse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with defuse

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

defuse vs diffuse1,900 G

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of defuse

  • defuses present, singular, he/she/it
  • defusing participle, present
  • defused participle, past
  • defuze

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

What does defuse mean?

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

verb

  1. 1

    To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb).

  2. 2

    To make less dangerous, tense, or hostile.

    The diplomats are trying to defuse the escalating crisis.

  3. 3

    obsoleteTo disorder; to make shapeless.

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

Defuse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchdésamorcer (to remove the fuse from a bomb)
Germanentschärfen (to remove the fuse from a bomb)
Portuguesedesarmar (to remove the fuse from a bomb), apaziguar, acalmar (to make something less dangerous)
Spanishdesactivar (to remove the fuse from a bomb), apaciguar, calmar (to make something less dangerous)

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 defuse come from?

From de- + fuse.

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

What to look up after defuse