decay
de·cay/diˈkeɪ/noun, verb
decay is spelled D-E-C-A-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (de·cay). It appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, decay means “Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of decay is decays.
How many letters and syllables are in decay?
| Letters | 5: D-E-C-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: de·cay |
| In writing | 6.8 times per million words; the 9,165th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is decay?
Decay appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce decay?
- UK /dɪˈkeɪ/
- US /diˈkeɪ/
Decay has 2 syllables, split de·cay in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-decay.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with decay?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as decay from its last stressed vowel (/eɪ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of decay
- decays plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- decaying participle, present
- decayed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action.
tooth decay/dental decay–wood-decay fungi–bacterial decay–photochemical decay
- 2
Deterioration of condition; loss of status, quality, strength, or fortune.
civic and moral decay–systemic decay–fall into decay–urban decay–arrested decay–memory decay
- 3
Radioactive decay; decomposition of an atom or its nucleus.
alpha decay–gamma decay–fission decay–decay chain
- 4
Particle decay; decomposition of a sub-atomic particle.
- 5
Continuous decrease of a quantity.
exponential decay–decay rate–orbital decay–decay time–decay constant–time decay
- 6
obsoleteOverthrow, destruction, ruin, death.
- 7
Array decay.
verb
- 1
To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street.
- 2
To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation.
- 3
To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete.
- 4
To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body).
- 5
To rot, to go bad.
The cat's body decayed rapidly.
- 6
To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons; to undergo radioactive decay.
- 7
To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
- 8
Loss of airspeed due to drag.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decay in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décrépitude , pourrir , se désintégrer |
| German | Verfall, Verwesung, Fäulnis , verfallen, verderben |
| Portuguese | deterioração, apodrecimento, putrefação, decomposição , decompor-se, deteriorar |
| Spanish | descomposición, deterioración, putrefacción, podredumbre, decaimiento , decaer |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does decay come from?
From Middle English decaien (“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 down, to fail, sink or perish”), from de- (“of, from, away, down”) + cadere (“to fall”). Compare decadent and decadence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).