degradation
/ˌdɛɡɹəˈdeɪʃən/noun
degradation is spelled D-E-G-R-A-D-A-T-I-O-N. The wrong spelling people search most is degredation: about 390 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 10 of all searches for the word. Degradation is a noun meaning “The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank…”. The plural of degradation is degradations.
How many letters and syllables are in degradation?
| Letters | 11: D-E-G-R-A-D-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words; the 12,940th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, degredation, about 390 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| 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); 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell degradation?
Degradation is spelled D-E-G-R-A-D-A-T-I-O-N. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 10 of the searches for degradation in either form.
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). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is degradation?
Degradation appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th 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 degradation?
- UK /ˌdɛɡɹəˈdeɪʃən/
Degradation 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)-Mélange_a_trois-degradation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with degradation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as degradation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/, British pronunciation):
- translation
- aviation
- determination
- delegation
- authorization
- deportation
- inauguration
- deprivation
- depreciation
- visualization
- denomination
- deforestation
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 degradation
- degradations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does degradation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society
- 2
The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.
- 3
Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.
- 4
A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
- 5
A deleterious change in the chemical structure, physical properties or appearance of a material from natural or artificial exposure.
- 6
The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
- 7
Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.
muscle degradation
- 8
The gradual breakdown of components of a material, as a result of a natural element, i.e.: heat, cold and wind.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate degradation?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of degradation: deg.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Degradation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dégradation |
| German | Degradierung |
| Portuguese | degradação , declínio , degeneração, deterioração |
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 degradation come from?
From French dégradation. Morphologically degrade + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).