despondent
/dɪˈspɒndənt/adjective
despondent is spelled D-E-S-P-O-N-D-E-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, despondent means “In low spirits from loss of hope or courage” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in despondent?
| Letters | 10: D-E-S-P-O-N-D-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th 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 despondent?
Despondent appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th 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 despondent?
- UK /dɪˈspɒndənt/
Despondent 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-despondent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with despondent?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as despondent from its last stressed vowel (/ɒndənt/, 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 despondent
- more despondent comparative
- most despondent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does despondent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Despondent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in low spirits from loss of hope or courage:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déprimé, abattu, découragé, triste |
| German | mutlos, niedergeschlagen, deprimiert, entmutigt, traurig |
| Portuguese | abatido, desencorajado, desanimado, desacorçoado |
| Spanish | abatido, descorazonado |
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 despondent come from?
From Latin dēspondēns, from the verb despondere (“to give up, to abandon”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).