divan
/dɪˈvæn/noun
divan is spelled D-I-V-A-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, divan means “A Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of divan is divans.
How many letters and syllables are in divan?
| Letters | 5: D-I-V-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,129th 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 divan?
Divan appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th 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 divan?
- UK /dɪˈvæn/
- US /dɪˈvæn/
- US /ˈdaɪ.væn/
Divan has 2 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: En-us-divan.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with divan?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as divan from its last stressed vowel (/æn/):
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 divan
- divans plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does divan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher authority (the sultan).
- 2
The council chamber where this court is held; (by extension), any court of justice.
- 3
archaicAny council or assembly.
- 4
A couch or sofa-like piece of furniture made of a mattress lying against the wall and on either the floor or an elevated structure.
- 5
datedAn establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess.
Near-synonym: smoking room
- 6
datedA drug or cigarette den.
- 7
A collection of poems, especially one written by an author in Arabic or Persian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Divan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sofa:
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 divan come from?
Borrowed from French, from Ottoman Turkish دیوان (divan), from Classical Persian دیوان (dēwān), from Middle Persian d(p)ywʾn' (dēwān, “archive, collected writings”), from Sumerian 𒁾 (dub). Compare mattress, from Arabic (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans). Doublet of dewan, douane, and diwaniya.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).