decedent
/dɪˈsiːdənt/
"decedent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“decedent” is uncommon English (frequency #64,307 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #64,307
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dead person.
Corpus desk
Index EN-decedent · decedent · English
decedent · rank #64,307 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #64,307
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH debunks
Nearest frequency peer: debunks (-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 “decedent”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- dama
dama
35,701 corpus weight
- debonair
debonair
35,696 corpus weight
- debunks
debunks
35,695 corpus weight
- decedent
decedent
35,694 corpus weight
- Denbigh
Denbigh
35,691 corpus weight
- determinate
determinate
35,687 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “decedent” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | decedent |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈsiːdənt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #64,307 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “decedent” in English
Rare enough to double-check
decedent is uncommon English at frequency #64,307 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪˈsiːdənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A dead person.".
No misspelling variants are generated for decedent in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin decedens, present active participle of decedere (“to depart, die”). The correct English form is decedent, spelled D-E-C-E-D-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1A dead person.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how decedent appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
“A check of the nightstands revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent’s name,” the coroner’s notes said, according to TMZ.com.
A 2020 study found that MAiD recipients in Ontario tended to be wealthier, less likely to be in institutional care, and more likely to be married than the average Ontario decedent.
Etymology
From Latin decedens, present active participle of decedere (“to depart, die”).
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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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "decedent", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).