diapause
/ˈdaɪəpɔːz/noun, verb
diapause is spelled D-I-A-P-A-U-S-E: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 110,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, diapause means “A temporary pause in the growth and development of an organism due to adverse environmental conditions (especially in insects and in the embryos of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of diapause is diapauses.
How many letters and syllables are in diapause?
| Letters | 8: D-I-A-P-A-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 110,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is diapause?
Diapause appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 110,368th 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 diapause?
- /ˈdaɪəpɔːz/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-diapause.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of diapause
- diapauses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- diapausing participle, present
- diapaused participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does diapause mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A temporary pause in the growth and development of an organism due to adverse environmental conditions (especially in insects and in the embryos of many of the oviparous species of fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes)
verb
- 1
To undergo diapause.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Diapause in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a temporary pause in the growth and development of an organism:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diapause |
| German | Dormanz, Diapause |
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 diapause come from?
From Ancient Greek διάπαυσις (diápausis, “pause, cessation”). By surface analysis, dia- + -pause.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).