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desperate

/ˈdɛsp(ə)ɹət/adjective · noun

Desperate can refer to a person who is frightened and in need of help. Desperate is also used as adjective, with meanings including arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope.

7 meanings9 lettersScrabble 12

Length

9

Scrabble

12

WWF

13

Starts

DE

Ends

ATE

Difficulty

Hard

Dictionary

What Does “DESPERATE” Mean?

/ˈdɛsp(ə)ɹət/

desperate has 7 documented senses across adjective, noun.

Adjective

6 senses
1

arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

a despairing view of the world situation

the last despairing plea of the condemned criminal

a desperate cry for help

helpless and desperate — as if at the end of his tether

Synonyms

2

desperately determined

do-or-die revolutionaries

a do-or-die conflict

3

(of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair

a desperate criminal

taken hostage of desperate men

4

showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort

made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber

{'source': 'G.C.Marshall', 'text': 'the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war'}

they took heroic measures to save his life

Synonyms

5

showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire

felt a desperate urge to confess

a desperate need for recognition

6

fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless

a desperate illness

{'source': 'G.C.Marshall', 'text': 'on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel'}

a dire emergency

Synonyms

Noun

1 sense
1

a person who is frightened and in need of help

they prey on the hopes of the desperate

Synonyms for DESPERATE

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

9

Vowels

4

Consonants

5

Word Intelligence

Explore the word desperate with its definition, score, letter pattern, and useful word game details.

Definition

arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

Length

9 letters

Starts With

D

Ends With

E

Vowels

4

Consonants

5

Letters

D, E, S, P, E, R, A, T, E

Use Case

Useful for Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords, anagrams, and other word games.

Letter Breakdown

d
e
s
p
e
r
a
t
e

Word Facts

Key letter, score, and pattern facts for desperate.

DESPERATE is a 9-letter word.
It has a Scrabble score of 12.
It starts with D and ends with E.
It contains 4 vowels and 5 consonants.
Its vowel share is about 44%.
It has 2 repeated letters.
It is not a palindrome.
Letter pattern: ABCDBEFGB.
Vowel/consonant pattern: CVCCVCVCV.

Word Strategy

Strategy notes for using desperate in Scrabble, Wordle-style games, crosswords, and anagram solving.

Scrabble Strategy

★★★★☆

DESPERATE has a Scrabble score of 12. It is useful for balancing a rack and building steady board position.

Wordle Strategy

★★☆☆☆

DESPERATE is not five letters, so it is not a standard Wordle answer, but its letter pattern can still help with word analysis.

Crossword Strategy

★★★☆☆

DESPERATE can be useful in crossword solving because it has a clear starting letter, ending letter, and 9-letter structure.

Anagram Strategy

★★★☆☆

DESPERATE contains repeated letters, which can make anagram solving more constrained but also easier to pattern-match.

Letter Intelligence

A deeper look at the letter structure, patterns, and useful game signals inside desperate.

Unique Letters

7

Repeated Letters

2

Highest Value Letter

P

Letter Pattern

ABCDBEFGB

CV Pattern

CVCCVCVCV

Vowel Share

44%

Consonant Share

56%

Bigrams

DE, ES, SP, PE, ER, RA, AT, TE

Trigrams

DES, ESP, SPE, PER, ERA, RAT, ATE

Crossword Intelligence

Crossword-style clues, crossing help, and pattern notes for desperate.

DESPERATE is a 9-letter longer themed answer.
It starts with D and ends with E, which helps narrow crossword crossings.
It contains 4 vowels and 5 consonants.
Its vowel/consonant pattern is CVCCVCVCV.
Crossword difficulty estimate: Hard.

Related Words

Word Usage Insights

Practical observations about how this word performs in different word games and puzzle situations.

This word contains 9 letters and is suitable for medium-length word games.
Its consonant/vowel pattern is CVCCVCVCV, making it relatively challenging to recognize.
With a Scrabble score of 12, it offers strong scoring potential.
The word begins with D and ends with E, making it useful for solving pattern-based puzzles.
Some letters repeat, which can be useful when identifying anagrams.

Word Intelligence Links

Explore word lists connected to DESPERATE by length, score, vowels, consonants, starting letters, ending letters, and word game tools.

Word Family

Explore words that share a similar beginning or root pattern with desperate.

Related Word Tools

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