decease

/dɪˈsiːs/

//dɪˈsiːs// noun

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

"decease" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decease” is uncommon English (frequency #83,166 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,166
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Death, departure from life.

Corpus desk

Index EN-decease · decease · English

decease · rank #83,166 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,166
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH decisionmaking

Nearest frequency peer: decisionmaking (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “decease”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “decease” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for decease
PropertyValue
Headworddecease
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈsiːs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#83,166
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “decease” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “decisionmaking” (#83,167), “DBC” (#83,164), “decluttering” (#83,168). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decease” is #83,166. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

decease is uncommon English at frequency #83,166 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪˈsiːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Death, departure from life.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for decease, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French deces (Modern French décès), from Latin dēcessus (“departure”). The correct English form is decease, spelled D-E-C-E-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Death, departure from life.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So should that beauty which you hold in lease Find no determination: then you were Yourself again after yourself's decease […]
  2. I thought about my predecessor, who had died of drink and smoke; and I could have wished he had been so good as to live, and not bother me with his decease.

Etymology

From Old French deces (Modern French décès), from Latin dēcessus (“departure”).

This word in other languages

fallecimiento(Español)décès(Français)Ableben(Deutsch)falecimento(Português)

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 "decease"?
"decease" is spelled D-E-C-E-A-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈsiːs/.
What does "decease" mean?
As a noun, "decease" means: Death, departure from life.
How do you pronounce "decease"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decease" is /dɪˈsiːs/. 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 "decease"?
From Old French deces (Modern French décès), from Latin dēcessus (“departure”). 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 "decease", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

defacto#83,169cyclase#83,156comport#83,135Chukchi#83,117

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list