decadence

/ˈdɛkədəns/

//ˈdɛkədəns// noun

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

"decadence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decadence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,459. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,459
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration; decay

Corpus desk

Index EN-decadence · decadence · English

decadence · rank #34,459 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #34,459
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH debug

Nearest frequency peer: debug (-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 “decadence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “decadence” 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).

decadence vs decadent
78% similar

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

Key facts for decadence
PropertyValue
Headworddecadence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛkədəns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#34,459
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “decadence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).decadencelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “debug” (#34,458), “decider” (#34,460), “DeAndre” (#34,457). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decadence” is #34,459. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around decadence (IPA /ˈdɛkədəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,459 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for decadence, with forms such as "dceadence", "ddecadence", and "deacdence". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "decadent", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French décadence, from Medieval Latin decadentia (“decay”), from *decadens (“decaying”), present participle of *decadere (“to decay”); see decay. The correct English form is decadence, spelled D-E-C-A-D-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration; decay
  2. 2
    The quality of being luxuriously self-indulgent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Stability, however, is not enough. It leads too easily to stagnation, and thence to decadence."
  2. the decadence of a five-star hotel

Etymology

From French décadence, from Medieval Latin decadentia (“decay”), from *decadens (“decaying”), present participle of *decadere (“to decay”); see decay.

This word in other languages

decadencia(Español)décadence(Français)Dekadenz(Deutsch)decadência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dceadence
  • ddecadence
  • deacdence
  • decadance
  • decaddence
  • decadecne
  • decadencce
  • decadenec
  • decadennce
  • decadnece
  • decaednce
  • deccadence
  • decdaence
  • edcadence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decadence - 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.

dceadence2ddecadence1deacdence2decadance1decaddence1decadecne2decadencce1decadenec2
Edit distance from "decadence"

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 "decadence"?
"decadence" is spelled D-E-C-A-D-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛkədəns/.
What does "decadence" mean?
As a noun, "decadence" means: A state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration; decay
What words are commonly confused with "decadence"?
"decadence" is commonly confused with "decadent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "decadence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decadence" is /ˈdɛkədəns/. 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 "decadence"?
From French décadence, from Medieval Latin decadentia (“decay”), from *decadens (“decaying”), present participle of *decadere (“to decay”); see decay. 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 "decadence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

depravity#34,463cutaneous#34,451conjugate#34,446condenser#34,444

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Champlain14 variantscarriageway14 variantsBroughton14 variantsBroderick14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list