disinfect
/dɪs.ɪnˈfɛkt/verb
disinfect is spelled D-I-S-I-N-F-E-C-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, disinfect means “To sterilize by the use of cleaning agent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in disinfect?
| Letters | 9: D-I-S-I-N-F-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th 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 disinfect?
Disinfect appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th 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 disinfect?
- UK /dɪs.ɪnˈfɛkt/
Disinfect 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-disinfect.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with disinfect?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as disinfect from its last stressed vowel (/ɛkt/, 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 disinfect
- disinfects present, singular, he/she/it
- disinfecting participle, present
- disinfected participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does disinfect mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To sterilize by the use of cleaning agent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Disinfect in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sterilize by the use of cleaning agent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | désinfecter |
| German | desinfizieren |
| Portuguese | desinfetar |
| Spanish | desinfectar |
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 disinfect come from?
From English dis- + infect, from Middle French desinfecter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).