devolution
/diːvəˈluːʃən/noun
devolution is spelled D-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, devolution means “A rolling down” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of devolution is devolutions.
How many letters and syllables are in devolution?
| Letters | 10: D-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (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 devolution?
Devolution 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 devolution?
- UK /diːvəˈluːʃən/
Devolution 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-devolution.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with devolution
Also written: devo.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with devolution?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as devolution from its last stressed vowel (/uʃən/, British pronunciation):
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 devolution
- devolutions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does devolution mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rolling down.
- 2
A descent, especially one that passes through a series of revolutions, or by succession.
- 3
The transference of a right to a successor, or of a power from one body to another.
- 4
derogatoryDegeneration.
It is quite disheartening to witness the devolution of our nation's political discourse over the past several years.
- 5
The transfer of some powers and the delegation of some functions from a central government to local government (e.g. from the U.K. parliament to Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly).
The question of whether England should receive devolution like Scotland and Wales have has dogged British politics for years.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate devolution?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of devolution: devo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Devolution in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dévolution |
| Spanish | desevolución |
| German | Dezentralisierung, Machtübertragung auf Landesteile |
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 devolution come from?
Borrowed from Middle French dévolution, from Medieval Latin devolutio, devolutionis, from Latin devolvo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).