Dekan

[deˈkaːn]

/[deˈkaːn]/ noun

The verdict

“Dekan” has 7 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #13,122. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,122
frequency rank, German
2,764
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Vorsteher und Sprecher einer Fakultät oder eines Fachbereichs an einer Hochschule

Corpus desk

Index DE-dekan · Dekan · German

Dekan · rank #13,122 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,122
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,764
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dachau

Nearest frequency peer: Dachau (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Dekan”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Dekan” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Dekan vs den
40% similar
Dekan vs denn
40% similar
Dekan vs dran
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Dekan
PropertyValue
HeadwordDekan
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[deˈkaːn]
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,122
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Dekan” sits in German frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Dekan lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Dekan (IPA [deˈkaːn]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,122 among 2,764 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Dekan, with forms such as "ddekan", "deakn", and "dekann". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "den", "denn", "dran", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Dekan, spelled D-E-K-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vorsteher und Sprecher einer Fakultät oder eines Fachbereichs an einer Hochschule
  2. 2
    in einigen evangelischen Landeskirchen das Oberhaupt eines Kirchenkreises, Kirchenbezirks oder Dekanats, siehe auch Superintendent
  3. 3
    in der katholischen Kirche der Leiter eines Kirchenbezirks oder Dekanats
  4. 4
    eine chemische Verbindung aus der Gruppe der Alkane (→Decan)
  5. 5
    Bezeichnung für jeweils ein Drittel eines der 12 Abschnitte des Tierkreises

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Dekan appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Dekane werden nur für eine begrenzte Zeit gewählt.
  2. „Der Professor, der sich für Roth sowohl in pädagogischer als auch in beruflicher Hinsicht als überaus wichtig erweisen sollte, war Napier Wilt, der Dekan der geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät.“

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddekan
  • deakn
  • dekann
  • dekkan
  • dekna
  • dkean
  • edkan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Dekan - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddekan1deakn2dekann1dekkan1dekna2dkean2edkan2
Edit distance from "Dekan"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Dekan"?
"Dekan" is spelled D-E-K-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is [deˈkaːn].
What does "Dekan" mean?
As a noun, "Dekan" means: Vorsteher und Sprecher einer Fakultät oder eines Fachbereichs an einer Hochschule
What words are commonly confused with "Dekan"?
"Dekan" is commonly confused with "den", "denn", "dran". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Dekan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Dekan" is [deˈkaːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Dekan" come from?
"Dekan" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Dekan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "Dekan". Here's where to go from here.

  • "Dekan" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "den". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #13,122 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list