destroyer
/dəˈstɹɔɪ.ɚ/noun
destroyer is spelled D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, destroyer means “That which destroys something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of destroyer is destroyers.
How many letters and syllables are in destroyer?
| Letters | 9: D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th 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 destroyer?
Destroyer appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 destroyer?
- US /dəˈstɹɔɪ.ɚ/
Destroyer 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-destroyer.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with destroyer?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as destroyer from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɪəɹ/):
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 destroyer
- destroyers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does destroyer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
That which destroys something.
- 2
A small, fast warship with light gun armament, smaller than a cruiser, but bigger than a frigate.
- 3
A larger warship with guided missile armament, usually intended for air defence or anti-ship roles. Often, but not always, larger than a frigate and smaller than a cruiser.
- 4
A starship of comparable role.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate destroyer?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of destroyer: DD.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Destroyer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | destructeur, destructrice , destroyer, contre-torpilleur |
| German | Zerstörer, Zerstörerin, Vernichter, Vernichterin |
| Portuguese | destruidor , contratorpedeiro |
| Spanish | destructor, destruidor |
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 destroyer come from?
Inherited from Middle English destroyour, destroyere; By surface analysis, destroy + -er. Designating a warship, it is ellipsis of torpedo-boat destroyer, the longer term appearing at the end of the 19th century and the shorter form early in the 20th.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).