desire
de·sire/dɪˈzaɪɹ/verb, noun
desire is spelled D-E-S-I-R-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (de·sire). It appears 41 times per million words in written English, the 2,438th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, desire means “To want; to wish for earnestly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in desire?
| Letters | 6: D-E-S-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: de·sire |
| In writing | 41 times per million words; the 2,438th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is desire?
Desire appears 41 times per million words in written English, the 2,438th 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 desire?
- UK /dɪˈzaɪə/
- US /dɪˈzaɪɹ/
- US /dɪˈzaɪɚ/
Desire has 2 syllables, split de·sire in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-desire.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-desire.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with desire?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as desire from its last stressed vowel (/aɪɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: reside.
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 desire
- desires present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- desiring participle, present
- desired 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 desire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To want; to wish for earnestly.
I desire to speak with you.
- 2
To put a request to (someone); to entreat.
- 3
To want emotionally or sexually.
She has desired him since they first met.
- 4
To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.
- 5
To require; to demand; to claim.
- 6
To miss; to regret.
noun
- 1
The feeling of desiring; an eager longing for something.
Too much desire can seriously affect one’s judgement.
- 2
Someone or something wished for.
It is my desire to speak with you.
- 3
Strong attraction, particularly romantic or sexual.
His desire for her kept him awake at night.
- 4
Motivation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Desire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | désirer , désir |
| German | begehren , Begehren, Wunsch |
| Portuguese | desejar , desejo |
| Spanish | desear , deseo , gana |
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 desire come from?
From Middle English desir, desire (noun) and desiren (verb), from Old French desirer, desirrer, from Latin dēsīderō (“to long for, desire, feel the want of, miss, regret”), apparently from de- + sidus (in the phrase de sidere, "from the stars") in connection with astrological hopes. Compare consider and desiderate. The verb, along with Old Norse derived want (verb), has mostly replaced native will in modern English.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).