detergent
/dɪˈtɝd͡ʒənt/noun, adjective
detergent is spelled D-E-T-E-R-G-E-N-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, detergent means “Any non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of detergent is detergents.
How many letters and syllables are in detergent?
| Letters | 9: D-E-T-E-R-G-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,362nd 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 detergent?
Detergent appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd 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 detergent?
- UK /dɪˈtɜːd͡ʒənt/
- US /dɪˈtɝd͡ʒənt/
- Australia /dɪˈtɜːd͡ʒənt/
Detergent 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-detergent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with detergent?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as detergent from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹdʒənt/):
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 detergent
- detergents plural
- more detergent comparative
- most detergent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does detergent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant.
Near-synonym: cleaner (sometimes coordinate)
adjective
- 1
Synonym of cleansing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Detergent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense any non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | détergent |
| German | Reinigungsmittel |
| Portuguese | detergente |
| Spanish | detergente |
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 detergent come from?
From French détergent, from Latin dētergēns, the present participle of dētergeō, from dē (“off”) + tergeō (“wipe, polish”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).