rebuke
/ɹiˈbjuːk/noun, verb
rebuke is spelled R-E-B-U-K-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rebuke means “A harsh criticism” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rebuke is rebukes.
How many letters and syllables are in rebuke?
| Letters | 6: R-E-B-U-K-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th 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 rebuke?
Rebuke appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th 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 rebuke?
- /ɹiˈbjuːk/
- /ɹɪˈbjuːk/
Rebuke 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-rebuke.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rebuke
- rebukes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- rebuking participle, present
- rebuked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rebuke mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A harsh criticism.
verb
- 1
To criticise harshly; to reprove.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rebuke in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | reproche, réprimande , reprendre, réprimander, gronder, désapprouver |
| German | Tadel, Anschiss, Rüge, Schelte, Zurechtweisung, Vorhaltung |
| Portuguese | bronca, crítica, repreensão, censura , repreender, censurar |
| Spanish | reproche, reprensión, reprimenda, reprobación, regañina, regaño |
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 rebuke come from?
From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“grove”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush”); equivalent to re- + bush.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).