denial
/dɪˈnaɪ.əl/noun
denial is spelled D-E-N-I-A-L: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, denial means “An assertion of untruth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of denial is denials.
How many letters and syllables are in denial?
| Letters | 6: D-E-N-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 denial?
Denial appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th 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 denial?
- US /dɪˈnaɪ.əl/
Denial has 3 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: En-us-denial.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with denial?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as denial from its last stressed vowel (/aɪəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: daniel, nailed.
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 denial
- denials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does denial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An assertion of untruth.
The singer has issued a sweeping denial of all the rumors.
- 2
The negation in logic.
The denial of "There might be X" is the null, "False, there is no X."
- 3
A refusal or failure to provide or grant something that is requested or desired.
The denial of medical treatment to those who cannot afford to pay is scandalous.
- 4
Refusal to believe that a problem exists.
We couldn't break through his denial about being alcoholic.
- 5
Refusal to admit responsibility for wrongdoing.
- 6
Negationism, denialism of historical facts or accepted interpretation.
- 7
A defense mechanism involving a refusal to accept the truth of a phenomenon or prospect.
He is in denial that he has a drinking problem.
- 8
A disownment or disavowal
The denial of Jesus by Peter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Denial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | négation , dénégation , refus , déni, rejet |
| German | Leugnung, Dementi, Bestreitung, Abstreitung , Verneinung, Negation |
| Portuguese | negação |
| Spanish | negación, negamiento , denegación |
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 denial come from?
From deny + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).