Which to use
“decade” and “decree” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,886
- “decade” frequency rank
- #9,316
- “decree” frequency rank
- 12202
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decade | decree |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A group, set, or series of ten , particularly | An edict or law. |
Where the eye mixes decade and decree
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: decade vs decree
A purely visual mix-up. decade (/ˈdɛkeɪd/) and decree (/dɪˈkɹiː/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12202, 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/. decree is at rank #9,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈkɹiː/.
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 12202, this pair ranks #482,874 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decade vs decree
Shared letters: cde. Private to "decade": a. Private to "decree": r.
"decade" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "decree" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "decade" and "decree" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "decade" vs "decree" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "decade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decree" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #482,874 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decade" and "decree" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decree vs decry". 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 #482,874 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.