detachment
de·tach·ment/dɪˈtæt͡ʃmənt/noun
detachment is spelled D-E-T-A-C-H-M-E-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables (de·tach·ment). It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, detachment means “The action of detaching; separation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of detachment is detachments.
How many letters and syllables are in detachment?
| Letters | 10: D-E-T-A-C-H-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: de·tach·ment |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is detachment?
Detachment appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th 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 detachment?
- /dɪˈtæt͡ʃmənt/
Detachment has 3 syllables, split de·tach·ment in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-detachment.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with detachment
Also written: det.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of detachment
- detachments plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does detachment mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The action of detaching; separation.
- 2
The state of being detached or disconnected; insulation.
- 3
Indifference to the concerns of others; disregard; nonchalance; aloofness.
- 4
Absence of bias; impartiality; objectivity.
- 5
The separation of a military unit from the main body for a particular purpose or special mission.
- 6
The unit so dispatched.
- 7
A permanent unit organized for special duties.
- 8
Any smaller portion of a main body separately employed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate detachment?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of detachment: det.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Detachment in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | détachement , impartialité |
| German | Ablösung, Loslösung, Abtrennung , Verschlossenheit, Losgelöstheit , Staffel |
| Spanish | desprendimiento, desafijación, desacoplamiento , despego, desapego, desapegamiento |
| Portuguese | destacamento |
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 detachment come from?
From French détachement. By surface analysis, detach + -ment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).