desperado
/dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/noun
desperado is spelled D-E-S-P-E-R-A-D-O: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,179th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, desperado means “A bold outlaw, especially one from southern portions of the Wild West” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of desperado is desperadoes or desperados.
How many letters and syllables are in desperado?
| Letters | 9: D-E-S-P-E-R-A-D-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 62,179th 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 desperado?
Desperado appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,179th 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 desperado?
- UK /dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/
Desperado has 4 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)-Wodencafe-desperado.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with desperado?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as desperado from its last stressed vowel (/ɑdəʊ/, British pronunciation):
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 desperado
- desperadoes plural
- desperados plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does desperado mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A bold outlaw, especially one from southern portions of the Wild West.
- 2
colloquialA person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, an addict, etc.
- 3
colloquialA person who is desperately in love or is desperate for a romantic or sexual relationship.
- 4
A piece that seems determined to give itself up, typically to bring about stalemate or perpetual check.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Desperado in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense bold outlaw:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | desperado |
| Spanish | desperado |
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 desperado come from?
From obsolete Spanish desperado, past participle of desperar, archaic form of desesperar (“to despair”), from Latin disperare (“to despair, to lose hope”), from prefix dis- + sperare (“to hope”). Doublet of desperate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).