denounce
/diˈnaʊns/verb
denounce is spelled D-E-N-O-U-N-C-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, denounce means “To criticize or speak out against (someone or something); to point out as deserving of reprehension, etc.; to openly accuse or condemn in a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in denounce?
| Letters | 8: D-E-N-O-U-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is denounce?
Denounce appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 denounce?
- /diˈnaʊns/
- /dəˈnaʊns/
Denounce 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: En-uk-denounce.ogg, En-us-denounce.ogg, En-au-denounce.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of denounce
- denounces present, singular, he/she/it
- denouncing participle, present
- denounced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does denounce mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo make known in a formal manner; to proclaim; to announce; to declare.
- 2
To criticize or speak out against (someone or something); to point out as deserving of reprehension, etc.; to openly accuse or condemn in a threatening manner; to invoke censure upon; to stigmatize; to blame.
to denounce someone as a swindler, or as a coward
- 3
To make a formal or public accusation against; to inform against; to accuse.
to denounce a confederate in crime
- 4
obsoleteTo proclaim in a threatening manner; to threaten by some outward sign or expression; make a menace of.
to denounce war; to denounce punishment
- 5
To announce the termination of; especially a treaty or armistice.
- 6
USTo claim the right of working a mine that is abandoned or insufficiently worked.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Denounce in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dénoncer , balancer |
| German | verurteilen , anzeigen , kündigen, aufkündigen |
| Portuguese | denunciar , acusar |
| Spanish | denunciar, funar |
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 denounce come from?
From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō (“to announce, to denounce, to threaten”), from de + nūntiō (“to announce, to report, to denounce”), from nūntius (“messenger, message”). Doublet of denunciate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).