devastation
/ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/noun
devastation is spelled D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, devastation means “The act of devastating, or the state of being devastated; a laying waste” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of devastation is devastations.
How many letters and syllables are in devastation?
| Letters | 11: D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th 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 devastation?
Devastation appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 devastation?
- US /ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/
- UK /ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃn̩/
Devastation has 4 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-us-devastation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with devastation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as devastation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
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 devastation
- devastations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does devastation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of devastating, or the state of being devastated; a laying waste.
- 2
Waste or misapplication of the assets of a deceased person by an executor or administrator; devastavit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Devastation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of devastating or state of being devastated:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dévastation |
| German | Verwüstung, Zerstörung, Verwüsten, Verheeren, Verheerung, Zunichtemachen |
| Portuguese | devastação |
| Spanish | devastación, asolamiento, arrasamiento, quebranto |
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 devastation come from?
From Middle French dévastation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).