desertion
/dɪˈzɝʃən/noun
desertion is spelled D-E-S-E-R-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, desertion means “The act of deserting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of desertion is desertions.
How many letters and syllables are in desertion?
| Letters | 9: D-E-S-E-R-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th 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 desertion?
Desertion appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th 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 desertion?
- UK /dɪˈzɜːʃən/
- US /dɪˈzɝʃən/
Desertion 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-desertion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with desertion?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as desertion from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹʃən/):
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 desertion
- desertions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does desertion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of deserting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Desertion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense deserting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | désertion |
| German | Fahnenflucht, Desertion, Desertation |
| Portuguese | deserção |
| Spanish | deserción |
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 desertion come from?
Borrowed from Middle French désertion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).