Which to use
“decays” and “decry” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,595
- “decays” frequency rank
- #47,010
- “decry” frequency rank
- 89605
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decays | decry |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of decay | To denounce as harmful. |
Where the eye mixes decays and decry
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. decays runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against decry's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between decays and decry
A purely visual mix-up. decays (/dɪˈkeɪz/) and decry (/dɪˈkɹaɪ/) 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 89605, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decays is recorded at frequency rank #42,595, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈkeɪz/. decry is at rank #47,010, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈkɹaɪ/.
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 89605, this pair ranks #5,021 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of decays vs decry
Shared letters: cdey. Private to "decays": as. Private to "decry": r.
"decays" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "decry" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decays" for "decry" ever safe?
Frequency check: "decays" vs "decry" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "decays" and "decry" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "decays" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decry" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,021 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decays" and "decry" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decry vs derp". 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 #5,021 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.