downbeat
/ˈdaʊnbiːt/noun, adjective
downbeat is spelled D-O-W-N-B-E-A-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, downbeat means “The accented beat at the beginning of a bar (indicated by a conductor with a downward stroke)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of downbeat is downbeats.
How many letters and syllables are in downbeat?
| Letters | 8: D-O-W-N-B-E-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,954th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 downbeat?
Downbeat appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th 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 downbeat?
- /ˈdaʊnbiːt/
As an adjective (“Sad or pessimistic”): /daʊnˈbiːt/.
Downbeat 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-downbeat.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-downbeat2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with downbeat?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as downbeat.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: beatdown.
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 downbeat
- downbeats plural
- more downbeat comparative
- most downbeat superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does downbeat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The accented beat at the beginning of a bar (indicated by a conductor with a downward stroke).
adjective
- 1
Sad or pessimistic.
He sounded downbeat when asked about his future plans.
- 2
Cautiously optimistic.
She carried herself with a quiet downbeat grace.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Downbeat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | temps fort , triste, pessimiste |
| German | pessimistisch |
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 downbeat come from?
From down + beat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).