distil
di·stil/dəˈstɪl/verb
distil is spelled D-I-S-T-I-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (di·stil). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, distil means “To exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in distil?
| Letters | 6: D-I-S-T-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: di·stil |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 90,432nd 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; 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 distil?
Distil appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd 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 distil?
- UK /dɪˈstɪl/
- US /dəˈstɪl/
Distil has 2 syllables, split di·stil in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-distil.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with distil?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as distil from its last stressed vowel (/ɪl/):
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 distil
- distils present, singular, he/she/it
- distilling participle, present
- distilled participle, past
- distill US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does distil mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
UKTo exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops.
Firs distil resin.
- 2
UKTo impart (information, etc.) in small quantities; to infuse.
- 3
UKTo heat (a substance, usually a liquid) so that a vapour is produced, and then to cool the vapour so that it condenses back into a liquid, either to purify the original substance or to obtain one of its components; to subject to distillation.
- 4
UKFollowed by off or out: to expel (a volatile substance) from something by distillation.
- 5
UKTo extract the essence of (something) by, or as if by, distillation; to concentrate, to purify.
- 6
UKTo transform a thing (into something else) by distillation.
- 7
UKTo make (something, especially spirits such as gin and whisky) by distillation.
- 8
UKTo train a neural network on the outputs or behaviour of a more complex model in order to transfer selected knowledge and capabilities and create a smaller, more focused, or more efficient model.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Distil in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to heat (a substance, usually a liquid) so that a vapour is produced, and then t:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | distiller |
| German | destillieren |
| Portuguese | destilar |
| Spanish | destilar, alambicar, alquitarar |
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.