deterrent
/dɪˈtɝənt/adjective, noun
deterrent is spelled D-E-T-E-R-R-E-N-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, deterrent means “Serving to deter, preventing something from happening” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in deterrent?
| Letters | 9: D-E-T-E-R-R-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 18,811th 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 deterrent?
Deterrent appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th 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 deterrent?
- UK /dɪˈtɛɹənt/
- US /dɪˈtɝənt/
Deterrent 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-deterrent.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-عُثمان_(Middle_river_exports)-deterrent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with deterrent?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as deterrent from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹənt/):
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 deterrent
- more deterrent comparative
- most deterrent superlative
- deterrents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deterrent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Serving to deter, preventing something from happening.
noun
- 1
Something that deters.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deterrent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dissuasif , moyen de dissuasion |
| German | abschreckend , Abschreckung |
| Portuguese | dissuasório |
| Spanish | disuasivo, disuasorio, disuasor, deterrente |
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 deterrent come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin dēterrēns, dēterrentem.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).