detail
de·tail/ˈdi.teɪl/noun, verb
detail is spelled D-E-T-A-I-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (de·tail). It appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, detail means “A part small enough to escape casual notice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of detail is details.
How many letters and syllables are in detail?
| Letters | 6: D-E-T-A-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: de·tail |
| In writing | 37 times per million words; the 2,618th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is detail?
Detail appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th 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 detail?
- UK /ˈdiː.teɪl/
- US /ˈdi.teɪl/
- US /dɪˈteɪl/
As a verb (“To explain in detail”): /dɪˈteɪl/, /ˈdiː.teɪl/, /dɪˈteɪl/.
Detail has 2 syllables, split de·tail in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-detail1.wav, En-us-detail.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-detail2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with detail
Also written: de-tail (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with detail?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as detail from its last stressed vowel (/iteɪl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: tailed, dilate.
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 detail
- details plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- detailing participle, present
- detailed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does detail mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A part small enough to escape casual notice.
Note this fine detail in the lower left corner.
- 2
A profusion of details.
This etching is full of fine detail.
- 3
The small parts that can escape casual notice.
- 4
A part considered trivial enough to ignore.
I don't concern myself with the details of accounting.
- 5
A person's name, address and other personal information.
The arresting officer asked the suspect for his details.
- 6
A temporary unit or assignment.
- 7
An individual feature, fact, or other item, considered separately from the whole of which it is a part.
- 8
A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars.
verb
- 1
To explain in detail.
I'll detail the exact procedure to you later.
- 2
To clean carefully (particularly of road vehicles, always pronounced /ˈdiːteɪl/)
We need to have the minivan detailed.
- 3
To assign to a particular task.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate detail?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of detail: deet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Detail in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | détail , détails , coordonnées , détachement , détailler |
| German | Detail, Einzelheit , detaillisieren, detaillieren |
| Portuguese | detalhe, pormenor , detalhar, minuciar, esmiuçar , minúcias |
| Spanish | detalle , destacamento , detallar, pormenorizar, puntualizar |
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 detail come from?
Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).