reduce
/ɹɪˈd(j)us/verb
reduce is spelled R-E-D-U-C-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 54 times per million words in written English, the 1,899th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, reduce means “To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reduce?
| Letters | 6: R-E-D-U-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 54 times per million words; the 1,899th 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 reduce?
Reduce appears 54 times per million words in written English, the 1,899th 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 reduce?
- /ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːs/
- /ɹɪˈdjuːs/
- US /ɹɪˈd(j)us/
Reduce 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-reduce.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with reduce?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as reduce from its last stressed vowel (/us/):
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 reduce
- reduces present, singular, he/she/it
- reducing participle, present
- reduced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reduce mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.
to reduce weight, speed, heat, expenses, price, personnel etc.
- 2
To lose weight.
- 3
To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
to reduce a sergeant to the ranks
- 4
To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
to reduce a province or a fort
- 5
To bring to an inferior state or condition.
to reduce a city to ashes
- 6
To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy).
reduced to silence
- 7
To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off.
- 8
To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reduce in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réduire |
| German | reduzieren, herabsetzen, vermindern , abnehmen , reponieren |
| Portuguese | reduzir, diminuir , emagrecer , rebaixar |
| Spanish | reducir, mermar, rebajar |
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 reduce come from?
From Middle English reducen, from Old French reduire, from Latin redūcō (“reduce”); from re- (“back”) + dūcō (“lead”). See duke, and compare with redoubt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).