decay

/dɪˈkeɪ/

//dɪˈkeɪ// noun

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

"decay" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decay” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,160. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,160
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.

Corpus desk

Index EN-decay · decay · English

decay · rank #9,160 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,160
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cyrus

Nearest frequency peer: Cyrus (-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 “decay”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “decay” 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).

decay vs dey
60% similar
decay vs deck
60% similar
decay vs deny
60% similar

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

Key facts for decay
PropertyValue
Headworddecay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈkeɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,160
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “decay”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).decaylands 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 “Cyrus” (#9,159), “declining” (#9,161), “curved” (#9,158). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decay” is #9,160. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around decay (IPA /dɪˈkeɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,160 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for decay, with forms such as "dceay", "ddecay", and "deacy". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dey", "deck", "deny", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English decayen, dekeyen (“to decrease, diminish”) and decai (“deterioration, decline in value”), from Anglo-Norman decaeir (“to fall away, decay, decline”), from Vulgar Latin *dēcadere, etymologically restored form of Latin dēcidere (“to fall a… The correct English form is decay, spelled D-E-C-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.
  2. 2
    Deterioration of condition; loss of status, quality, strength, or fortune.
  3. 3
    Radioactive decay; decomposition of an atom or its nucleus.
  4. 4
    Particle decay; decomposition of a sub-atomic particle.
  5. 5
    Continuous decrease of a quantity.
  6. 6
    Overthrow, destruction, ruin, death.
  7. 7
    Array decay.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. tooth decay/dental decay—wood-decay fungi—bacterial decay—photochemical decay
  2. I fancied at first the stuff was paraffin wax, and smashed the jar accordingly. But the odor of camphor was unmistakable. It struck me as singularly odd, that among the universal decay, this volatile substance had chanced to survive, perhaps through many thousand years.

Etymology

From Middle English decayen, dekeyen (“to decrease, diminish”) and decai (“deterioration, decline in value”), from Anglo-Norman decaeir (“to fall away, decay, decline”), from Vulgar Latin *dēcadere, etymologically restored form of Latin dēcidere (“to fall away, fail, sink, perish”), from de (“down”) + cadere (“to fall”). Compare decadent and decadence.

This word in other languages

descomposición(Español)décrépitude(Français)Verfall(Deutsch)apodrecimento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dceay
  • ddecay
  • deacy
  • decayy
  • deccay
  • decya
  • edcay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

dceay2ddecay1deacy2decayy1deccay1decya2edcay2
Edit distance from "decay"

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 "decay"?
"decay" is spelled D-E-C-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈkeɪ/.
What does "decay" mean?
As a noun, "decay" means: Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.
What words are commonly confused with "decay"?
"decay" is commonly confused with "dey", "deck", "deny". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "decay"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decay" is /dɪˈkeɪ/. 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 "decay"?
From Middle English decayen, dekeyen (“to decrease, diminish”) and decai (“deterioration, decline in value”), from Anglo-Norman decaeir (“to fall away, decay, decline”), from Vulgar Latin *dēcadere, etymologically restored form of Latin dēcidere (... 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 "decay", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cyrus#9,159Diane#9,166flown#9,179Floyd#9,180

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Ahmed7 variantsinning7 variantsNepal7 variantsOlivia7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list