deputy
/ˈdɛpjəti/noun, verb
deputy is spelled D-E-P-U-T-Y: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deputy means “One appointed as the substitute of others, and empowered to act for them, in their name or their behalf; a substitute in office” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deputy is deputies.
How many letters and syllables are in deputy?
| Letters | 6: D-E-P-U-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 35 times per million words; the 2,725th 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 deputy?
Deputy appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th 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 deputy?
- UK /ˈdɛpjəti/
- US /ˈdɛpjəti/
- US [ˈdɛpjəɾi]
Deputy 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-deputy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deputy
- deputies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- deputying participle, present
- deputied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deputy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One appointed as the substitute of others, and empowered to act for them, in their name or their behalf; a substitute in office.
the deputy of a prince
- 2
A person employed to install and remove props, brattices, etc. and to clear gas, for the safety of the miners.
- 3
The name for a member of legislature in some countries.
The State Duma comprises 450 deputies.
- 4
A member of the French National Assembly.
- 5
A member of the French Chamber of Deputies, formerly called Corps Législatif.
- 6
IrelandA member of Dáil Éireann, or the title of a member of Dáil Éireann.
Eamon Ryan is a deputy in the Dáil.
- 7
USa law enforcement officer who works for the county sheriff's office; a deputy sheriff or sheriff's deputy; the entry level rank in such an agency.
The sheriff's deputies took the suspect into custody.
verb
- 1
informalnonstandardto deputise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate deputy?
Wiktionary records 4 abbreviations of deputy: dep., dept., dpty, dy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deputy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | adjoint, adjointe, suppléant, suppléante, délégué , député |
| German | Stellvertreter, Stellvertreterin , Deputierter, Deputierte, Abgeordneter, Abgeordnete |
| Portuguese | representante , deputado |
| Spanish | suplente, sustituto, delegado, representante, adjunto , diputado |
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 deputy come from?
From French député, from Late Latin dēputātus (“appointed”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).