decade

/ˈdɛkeɪd/

//ˈdɛkeɪd// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"decade" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decade” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,886. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,886
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A group, set, or series of ten , particularly

Corpus desk

Index EN-decade · decade · English

decade · rank #2,886 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,886
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH debut

Nearest frequency peer: debut (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “decade”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “decade” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

decade vs decay
67% similar
decade vs decal
67% similar
decade vs decaf
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for decade
PropertyValue
Headworddecade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛkeɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,886
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “decade”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).decadelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “debut” (#2,885), “destroy” (#2,887), “conduct” (#2,884). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decade” is #2,886. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around decade (IPA /ˈdɛkeɪd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,886 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for decade, with forms such as "dceade", "ddecade", and "deacde". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "decay", "decal", "decaf", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English decade, from Old French decade, from Late Latin decādem (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás), from δέκα (déka, “ten”). In reference to a span of ten years, originally a clipping of the phrase decade of years. By surface ana… The correct English form is decade, spelled D-E-C-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group, set, or series of ten , particularly
  2. 2
    A group, set, or series of ten
  3. 3
    A group, set, or series of ten
  4. 4
    A group, set, or series of ten
  5. 5
    A group, set, or series of ten
  6. 6
    A group, set, or series of ten
  7. 7
    A group, set, or series of ten
  8. 8
    A set of resistors, capacitors, etc. connected so as to provide even increments between one and ten times a base electrical resistance.
  9. 9
    The interval between any two quantities having a ratio of 10 to 1.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how decade appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. a decade of soldiers
  2. The 1960s was a turbulent decade.

Etymology

From Middle English decade, from Old French decade, from Late Latin decādem (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás), from δέκα (déka, “ten”). In reference to a span of ten years, originally a clipping of the phrase decade of years. By surface analysis, dec- + -ade. Doublet of decad and dekad.

Synonyms

decenniumdecennarydecenniaddecennial

This word in other languages

década(Español)dizaine(Français)Dekade(Deutsch)década(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dceade
  • ddecade
  • deacde
  • decadde
  • decaed
  • deccade
  • decdae
  • edcade

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decade - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

dceade2ddecade1deacde2decadde1decaed2deccade1decdae2edcade2
Edit distance from "decade"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "decade"?
"decade" is spelled D-E-C-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛkeɪd/.
What does "decade" mean?
As a noun, "decade" means: A group, set, or series of ten , particularly
What words are commonly confused with "decade"?
"decade" is commonly confused with "decay", "decal", "decaf". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "decade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decade" is /ˈdɛkeɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "decade"?
From Middle English decade, from Old French decade, from Late Latin decādem (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás), from δέκα (déka, “ten”). In reference to a span of ten years, originally a clipping of the phrase decade of years. By s... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "decade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Edward#2,889breath#2,880Joseph#2,901Wilson#2,871

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

chest8 variantsblind8 variantssinger8 variantsthats8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list