Which to use
“decree” and “decrees” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,316
- “decree” frequency rank
- #26,393
- “decrees” frequency rank
- 35709
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decree | decrees |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An edict or law. | plural of decree |
Where the eye mixes decree and decrees
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: decree vs decrees
A purely visual mix-up. decree (/dɪˈkɹiː/) and decrees (/dəˈkɹiz/) 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 extra letter(s) - “decree” sits inside “decrees”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35709, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decree is recorded at frequency rank #9,316, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈkɹiː/. decrees is at rank #26,393, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dəˈkɹiz/.
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 35709, this pair ranks #309,581 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decree vs decrees
Shared letters: cder. Private to "decree": -. Private to "decrees": s.
"decree" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "decrees" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "decree" and "decrees" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "decree" or "decrees"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "decree" and "decrees" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "decree" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decrees" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,581 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decree" and "decrees" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decrees vs depress". 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 #309,581 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.