explode
/ɪkˈsploʊd/verb
explode is spelled E-X-P-L-O-D-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, explode means “To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in explode?
| Letters | 7: E-X-P-L-O-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.3 times per million words; the 9,594th 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 explode?
Explode appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th 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 explode?
- UK /ɪkˈspləʊd/
- US /ɪkˈsploʊd/
Explode 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-explode.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-explode.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with explode?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as explode from its last stressed vowel (/oʊd/):
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 explode
- explodes present, singular, he/she/it
- exploding participle, present
- exploded participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does explode mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To fly apart with sudden violent force; to blow up, to burst, to detonate, to go off.
The bomb explodes.
- 2
To destroy with an explosion.
The assassin exploded the car by means of a car bomb.
- 3
To make a violent or emotional outburst; to suddenly give expression to powerful and often negative or unpleasant emotion, especially anger.
She exploded when I criticised her hat.
- 4
To increase suddenly.
- 5
To increase arbitrarily or boundlessly.
The function f(x) = 1/x explodes around x = 0.
- 6
To destroy violently or abruptly.
They sought to explode the myth.
- 7
To create an exploded view of.
Explode the assembly drawing so that all the fasteners are visible.
- 8
archaicTo disprove or debunk.
Astrology is required by many famous physicians […] doubted of, and exploded by others.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Explode in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | exploser , détoner, sauter |
| German | sprengen, explodieren , platzen |
| Portuguese | explodir |
| Spanish | explosionar, reventar, hacer explotar/estallar, volar , explotar |
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 explode come from?
First recorded around 1538, from the Latin verb explōdere (“drive out or off by clapping”). The meaning was originally theatrical, "to drive an actor off the stage by making noise," hence meaning to "to drive out" or "to reject".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).