design
de·sign/dɪˈzaɪn/noun, verb
design is spelled D-E-S-I-G-N, 2 syllables: de·sign. The wrong spelling people search most is desing: about 310 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 41 of all searches for the word. Design is a noun meaning “A specification of an object or process, referring to requirements to be satisfied and thus conditions to be…”. The plural of design is designs.
How many letters and syllables are in design?
| Letters | 6: D-E-S-I-G-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: de·sign |
| In writing | 148 times per million words; the 697th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 3; the most searched, desing, about 310 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell design?
Design is spelled D-E-S-I-G-N. 3 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 25 of the searches for design in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is design?
Design appears 148 times per million words in written English, the 697th 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 design?
- US /dɪˈzaɪn/
- Australia /dɪˈzɑen/
- [dəˈzɑe̯n]
Design has 2 syllables, split de·sign in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-design.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with design?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as design from its last stressed vowel (/aɪn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: signed.
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 design
- designs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- designing participle, present
- designed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does design mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A specification of an object or process, referring to requirements to be satisfied and thus conditions to be met for them to solve a problem.
- 2
A plan (with more or less detail) for the structure and functions of an artifact, building or system.
The initial design of the park was rejected for being too expensive.
- 3
A pattern, as an element of a work of art or architecture.
We're working on some new designs for our range of summer shirts
- 4
The composition of a work of art.
- 5
Intention or plot.
We have designs on winning the league next season.
- 6
The shape or appearance given to an object, especially one that is intended to make it more attractive.
- 7
The art of designing
Danish furniture design is world-famous.
verb
- 1
To plan and carry out (a picture, work of art, construction etc.).
comments designed to chip away at my self-esteem
- 2
obsoleteTo plan (to do something).
The king designed to mount an expedition to the New World.
- 3
obsoleteTo assign, appoint (something to someone); to designate.
- 4
obsoleteTo mark out and exhibit; to designate; to indicate; to show; to point out; to appoint.
- 5
To manifest requirements to be satisfied by an object or process for them to solve a problem.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate design?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of design: CDT.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Design in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | conception, plan , modèle , dessein, intention , design |
| German | Design, Entwurf , Muster , Absicht , entwerfen, designen |
| Portuguese | projeto, design , intenção , desenho , projetar |
| Spanish | diseño , designio, deseño , diseñar |
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.