deviate
/ˈdi.vi.eɪt/verb, noun, adjective
deviate is spelled D-E-V-I-A-T-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, deviate means “To go off course from; to change course; to change plans” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in deviate?
| Letters | 7: D-E-V-I-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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 deviate?
Deviate appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 deviate?
- UK /ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/
- US /ˈdi.vi.eɪt/
- Australia /ˈdiː.vi.æɪt/
As a noun (“A person with deviant behaviour; a deviant, degenerate or…”): /ˈdiː.vi.ət/, /ˈdi.vi.ət/, /ˈdiː.vi.ət/.
Deviate 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-deviate_(verb).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-deviate_(noun).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with deviate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as deviate from its last stressed vowel (/ivieɪt/):
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 deviate
- deviates present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- deviating participle, present
- deviated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deviate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To go off course from; to change course; to change plans.
- 2
To fall outside of, or part from, some norm; to stray.
His exhibition of nude paintings deviated from the norm.
- 3
To cause to diverge.
noun
- 1
A person with deviant behaviour; a deviant, degenerate or pervert.
- 2
A value equal to the difference between a measured variable factor and a fixed or algorithmic reference value.
adjective
- 1
deviant
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deviate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 deviate come from?
From Late Latin dēviātus, perfect passive participle of dēviō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French dévier.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).