degrade
/dɪˈɡɹeɪd/verb
degrade is spelled D-E-G-R-A-D-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, degrade means “To lower in value or social position” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in degrade?
| Letters | 7: D-E-G-R-A-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,101st 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 degrade?
Degrade appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st 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 degrade?
- UK /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/
- US /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/
- US /diˈɡɹeɪd/
Degrade 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-degrade.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with degrade?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as degrade from its last stressed vowel (/eɪd/):
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 degrade
- degrades present, singular, he/she/it
- degrading participle, present
- degraded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does degrade mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To lower in value or social position.
Fred degrades himself by his behaviour.
- 2
To reduce in quality or purity.
The DNA sample has degraded.
- 3
To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Degrade in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | degradieren, herabstufen, herunterstufen, herabsetzen , vermindern, abbauen |
| Portuguese | degradar , erodir, desgastar |
| Spanish | degradar |
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 degrade come from?
From Middle French dégrader.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).