derive
/dɪˈɹaɪv/verb
derive is spelled D-E-R-I-V-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, derive means “To obtain or receive (something) from something else” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in derive?
| Letters | 6: D-E-R-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,731st 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 derive?
Derive appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st 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 derive?
- US /dɪˈɹaɪv/
- Australia /dɪˈɹɑev/
- [dəˈɹɑe̯v]
Derive 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-us-derive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with derive?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as derive from its last stressed vowel (/aɪv/):
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 derive
- derives present, singular, he/she/it
- deriving participle, present
- derived participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does derive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To obtain or receive (something) from something else.
Reading books is the best way to derive knowledge.
- 2
To deduce (a conclusion) by reasoning.
- 3
To find the derivation of (a word or phrase).
- 4
To create (a compound) from another by means of a reaction.
- 5
To originate or stem (from).
Her excellent organisation skills derive from her time as a secretary in the army.
- 6
To turn the course of (water, etc.); to divert and distribute into subordinate channels.
For fear it [water] choke up the pits […] they [the workman] deriue it by other drains.
- 7
proscribedTo differentiate (a function).
noun
- 1
A revolutionary strategy proposed in 1956 by Guy Debord: a mode of experimental behaviour linked to the conditions of urban society, in which participants drop their everyday relations and enter into spontaneous encounters and interactions.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Derive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tirer, trouver , déduire, conclure , dériver |
| German | erlangen , herleiten, ableiten |
| Portuguese | derivar , deduzir |
| Spanish | derivar |
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 derive come from?
From Middle English deriven, from Old French deriver, from Latin dērīvō (“to lead, turn, or draw off (a liquid), draw off, derive”), from dē (“away”) + rīvus (“a stream”); see rival. Unrelated to arrive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).