destabilize
/diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/verb
destabilize is spelled D-E-S-T-A-B-I-L-I-Z-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, destabilize means “To make something unstable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in destabilize?
| Letters | 11: D-E-S-T-A-B-I-L-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th 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 destabilize?
Destabilize appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th 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 destabilize?
- UK /diːˈsteɪbɪlaɪz/
- /dɪˈstæbɪlaɪz/
Destabilize 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)-Vealhurl-destabilize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with destabilize?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as destabilize from its last stressed vowel (/eɪbɪlaɪz/, 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 destabilize
- destabilizes present, singular, he/she/it
- destabilizing participle, present
- destabilized participle, past
- destabilise UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does destabilize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make something unstable.
- 2
To become unstable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Destabilize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déstabiliser , se déstabiliser |
| German | destabilisieren , sich destabilisieren |
| Spanish | desestabilizar |
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 destabilize come from?
From de- + stabilize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).