Which to use
“decay” is a noun and “decayed” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,160
- “decay” frequency rank
- #35,246
- “decayed” frequency rank
- 44406
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decay | decayed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action. | Having undergone decay, rotted. |
Where the eye mixes decay and decayed
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: decay vs decayed
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decay is /dɪˈkeɪ/ while decayed is /dɪˈkeɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “decay” sits inside “decayed”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44406, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decay is recorded at frequency rank #9,160, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈkeɪ/. decayed is at rank #35,246, tagged as anadj, pronounced /dɪˈkeɪd/.
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 44406, this pair ranks #230,848 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decay vs decayed
Shared letters: acdey. Private to "decay": -. Private to "decayed": -.
"decay" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "decayed" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "decay" and "decayed" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "decay" or "decayed" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "decay" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decayed" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #230,848 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decay" and "decayed" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decayed vs decays". 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 #230,848 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.