decadent
/ˈdɛkədənt/
"decadent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“decadent” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,423. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #27,423
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterized by moral or cultural decline.
Corpus desk
Index EN-decadent · decadent · English
decadent · rank #27,423 · 12 variants · 4 confusables
- FREQ-MID #27,423
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
- VAR-MID 12 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH Dearborn
Nearest frequency peer: Dearborn (-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 “decadent”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- cramp
cramp
72,583 corpus weight
- Curran
Curran
72,581 corpus weight
- Dearborn
Dearborn
72,579 corpus weight
- decadent
decadent
72,578 corpus weight
- decoy
decoy
72,577 corpus weight
- depraved
depraved
72,574 corpus weight
What this shows “decadent” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | decadent |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈdɛkədənt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #27,423 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “decadent”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around decadent (IPA /ˈdɛkədənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #27,423 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for decadent, with forms such as "dceadent", "ddecadent", and "deacdent". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "decent", "decades", "decade", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French décadent, a back-formation from décadence (see -ent), from Medieval Latin dēcadentia, from Late Latin dēcadēns, present participle of dēcadō, dēcidō (“sink, fall; perish”), from Latin dē- + cadō (“fall”). The correct English form is decadent, spelled D-E-C-A-D-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1Characterized by moral or cultural decline.
- 2Luxuriously self-indulgent.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how decadent appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests.
2003, Hedonismbot in the Futurama episode "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" Surgery in an opera? How wonderfully decadent! And just as I was beginning to lose interest!
Etymology
From French décadent, a back-formation from décadence (see -ent), from Medieval Latin dēcadentia, from Late Latin dēcadēns, present participle of dēcadō, dēcidō (“sink, fall; perish”), from Latin dē- + cadō (“fall”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- dceadent
- ddecadent
- deacdent
- decaddent
- decadennt
- decadentt
- decadetn
- decadnet
- decaednt
- deccadent
- decdaent
- edcadent
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decadent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "decadent"?
What does "decadent" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "decadent"?
How do you pronounce "decadent"?
What is the origin of the word "decadent"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "decadent", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).