diminution
di·mi·nu·tion/dɪmɪˈnjuːʃən/noun
diminution is spelled D-I-M-I-N-U-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables (di·mi·nu·tion). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 59,387th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, diminution means “A lessening, decrease or reduction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of diminution is diminutions.
How many letters and syllables are in diminution?
| Letters | 10: D-I-M-I-N-U-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: di·mi·nu·tion |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 59,387th 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 diminution?
Diminution appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 59,387th 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 diminution?
- /dɪmɪˈnjuːʃən/
Diminution has 4 syllables, split di·mi·nu·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-diminution.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of diminution
- diminutions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does diminution mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A lessening, decrease or reduction.
The new emission standards have produced a measurable diminution in air pollution.
- 2
The act or process of making diminutive.
- 3
a compositional technique where the composer shortens the melody by shortening its note values.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Diminution in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lessening, decrease or reduction:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Rückgang |
| Spanish | disminución |
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 diminution come from?
From Middle English diminucioun, from Anglo-Norman diminuciun, Old French diminucion, from Latin dīminūtiō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).