determine
/dɪˈtɝmɪn/verb
determine is spelled D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 43 times per million words in written English, the 2,339th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, determine means “To set the boundaries or limits of” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in determine?
| Letters | 9: D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 43 times per million words; the 2,339th 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 determine?
Determine appears 43 times per million words in written English, the 2,339th 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 determine?
- UK /dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/
- US /dɪˈtɝmɪn/
- /ˌdɛ.təɹˈmɪn/
Determine 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: En-uk-determine.ogg, En-us-determine.ogg, En-ca-determine.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with determine?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as determine from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹmɪn/):
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 determine
- determines present, singular, he/she/it
- determining participle, present
- determined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does determine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To set the boundaries or limits of.
- 2
To ascertain definitely; to figure out, find out, or conclude by analyzing, calculating, or investigating.
- 3
To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle.
- 4
To fix the course of; to impel and direct; with a remoter object preceded by to.
The news of his father's illness determined him to depart immediately.
- 5
To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide.
The court has determined the cause.
- 6
To resolve (to do something); to establish a fixed intention; to cause (something) to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead.
I determined to go home at once.
- 7
To define or limit by adding a differentia.
- 8
To bring to an end, finish; to come to an end, stop, end.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Determine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déterminer |
| German | bestimmen, eingrenzen , festlegen |
| Portuguese | determinar |
| Spanish | determinar |
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 determine come from?
From Middle English determinen, from Old French determiner, French déterminer, from Latin determināre (“to bound, limit, prescribe, fix, determine”), from de + termināre (“to limit”), from terminus (“bound, limit, end”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).