decarboxylase
/diːkɑːˈbɒksɪleɪz/
"decarboxylase" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“decarboxylase” is uncommon English (frequency #87,194 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #87,194
- frequency rank, English
- 26,416
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of a carboxyl group, effectively removing carbon dioxide from a compound.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | decarboxylase |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /diːkɑːˈbɒksɪleɪz/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #87,194 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “decarboxylase” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
decarboxylase is uncommon English at frequency #87,194 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /diːkɑːˈbɒksɪleɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of a carboxyl group, effectively removing carbon dioxide from a compound.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for decarboxylase, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From de- + carboxyl + -ase. The correct English form is decarboxylase, spelled D-E-C-A-R-B-O-X-Y-L-A-S-E.
Definition
- 1Any enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of a carboxyl group, effectively removing carbon dioxide from a compound.
Etymology
From de- + carboxyl + -ase.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “decarboxylase”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-C-A-R-B-O-X-Y-L-A-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /diːkɑːˈbɒksɪleɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.