dissent
dis·sent/dɪˈsɛnt/verb, noun
dissent is spelled D-I-S-S-E-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (dis·sent). It appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “descent vs dissent” about 140 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, dissent means “To disagree; to withhold assent. Construed with from (or, formerly, to)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dissent?
| Letters | 7: D-I-S-S-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: dis·sent |
| In writing | 3.6 times per million words; the 13,695th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dissent?
Dissent appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th 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 dissent?
- UK /dɪˈsɛnt/
- US /dɪˈsɛnt/
- US /dəˈsɛnt/
Dissent has 2 syllables, split dis·sent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dissent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with dissent
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: descent (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with dissent?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dissent from its last stressed vowel (/ɛnt/):
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 dissent
- dissents present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- dissenting participle, present
- dissented participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dissent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disagree; to withhold assent. Construed with from (or, formerly, to).
- 2
To differ from, especially in opinion, beliefs, etc.
Natural reason dictates, that motion ought to be assigned to the bodies, which in kind and essence most agree with those bodies which do undoubtedly move, and rest to those which most dissent from them.
- 3
obsoleteTo be different; to have contrary characteristics.
noun
- 1
Disagreement with the ideas, doctrines, decrees, etc. of a political party, government or religion.
ethnopolitical dissent
- 2
An act of disagreeing with, or deviating from, the views and opinions of those holding authority.
- 3
A separate opinion filed in a case by judges who disagree with the outcome of the majority of the court in that case
- 4
A violation that arises when disagreement with an official call is expressed in an inappropriate manner such as foul language, rude gestures, or failure to comply.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dissent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | dissentieren , Dissens |
| Portuguese | dissentir, discordar , dissensão, dissídio, dissentimento |
| Spanish | discrepar, disentir, disidir, desconvenir, disconvenir, divergir |
| French | dissentiment |
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 dissent come from?
From Middle English dissenten, from Latin dissentiō, dissentīre (“to differ in sentiments, disagree, be at odds, contradict, quarrel”), from dis- + sentiō, sentīre (see sense).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).