downsize
/ˈdaʊnsaɪz/verb
downsize is spelled D-O-W-N-S-I-Z-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, downsize means “To reduce in size or number” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in downsize?
| Letters | 8: D-O-W-N-S-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is downsize?
Downsize appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 downsize?
- /ˈdaʊnsaɪz/
Downsize 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-downsize.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of downsize
- downsizes present, singular, he/she/it
- downsizing participle, present
- downsized participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does downsize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To reduce in size or number.
Joe and Edna moved to a bungalow after deciding to downsize when the children had left home.
- 2
To reduce the workforce of.
They downsized the division by offering attractive early-retirement packages and selling off an office building.
- 3
To terminate the employment of.
Joe got downsized and became a plumber.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Downsize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réduire, diminuer, revoir à la baisse , réajuster |
| Spanish | hacer recortes de personal, hacer recortes de plantilla, reajustar la plantilla |
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 downsize come from?
From down- + size.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).