deserter
/ˈdəzɚtɚ/noun
deserter is spelled D-E-S-E-R-T-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deserter means “A person who has physically removed him- or herself from the control or direction of a military or naval unit with the intention of permanently…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deserter is deserters.
How many letters and syllables are in deserter?
| Letters | 8: D-E-S-E-R-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th 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 deserter?
Deserter appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th 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 deserter?
- UK /dɪˈzɜːtə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈdəzɚtɚ/
Deserter 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-deserter.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-deserter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deserter
- deserters plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deserter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person who has physically removed him- or herself from the control or direction of a military or naval unit with the intention of permanently leaving
- 2
Under the United States Code of Military Justice, a person who has been placed on AWOL status for more than 30 days
- 3
One who is familiar with the desert climate and environment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deserter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense person who leaves a military or naval unit:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déserteur, déserteuse |
| German | Deserteur, Fahnenflüchtiger |
| Portuguese | desertor |
| Spanish | desertor, golondrino |
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 deserter come from?
Borrowed from Latin desertor (“deserter”), from desero (“to forsake, to abandon”); or from desert + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).