Which to use
“decade” and “decoder” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,886
- “decade” frequency rank
- #35,248
- “decoder” frequency rank
- 38134
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decade | decoder |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A group, set, or series of ten , particularly | A person who decodes secret messages |
Where the eye mixes decade and decoder
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: decade vs decoder
A purely visual mix-up. decade (/ˈdɛkeɪd/) and decoder (/dɪˈkəʊdə(ɹ)/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38134, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decade is recorded at frequency rank #2,886, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɛkeɪd/. decoder is at rank #35,248, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈkəʊdə(ɹ)/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 38134, this pair ranks #288,547 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decade vs decoder
Shared letters: cde. Private to "decade": a. Private to "decoder": or.
"decade" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "decoder" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "decade" and "decoder" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "decade" vs "decoder" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "decade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decoder" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #288,547 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decade" and "decoder" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decider vs decoder". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #288,547 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.