deterrence
/dɪˈtɝɹəns/noun
deterrence is spelled D-E-T-E-R-R-E-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deterrence means “The act of deterring, or the state of being deterred” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deterrence is deterrences.
How many letters and syllables are in deterrence?
| Letters | 10: D-E-T-E-R-R-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is deterrence?
Deterrence appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 deterrence?
- UK /dɪˈtɛɹəns/
- US /dɪˈtɝɹəns/
- US /dɪˈtʌɹəns/
Deterrence 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-deterrence.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deterrence
- deterrences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deterrence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of deterring, or the state of being deterred.
The policy relies on nuclear deterrence.
- 2
An action taken by states or alliances of nations against equally powerful alliances to prevent hostile action.
policy of deterrence
- 3
The art of producing in one's enemy the fear of attacking.
- 4
Nuclear deterrence: discouraging nuclear attack through the threat of nuclear retaliation.
- 5
The action of discouraging an action or event by instilling doubt or fear of the penalty or punishment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deterrence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dissuasion |
| German | Abschreckung |
| Portuguese | deterrência, dissuasão , intimidação |
| Spanish | deterrencia |
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 deterrence come from?
From the stem of deterrent + -ence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).