decency
/ˈdisənsi/noun
decency is spelled D-E-C-E-N-C-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, decency means “The quality of being decent; propriety” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of decency is decencies.
How many letters and syllables are in decency?
| Letters | 7: D-E-C-E-N-C-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is decency?
Decency appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 decency?
- UK /ˈdiːsənsi/
- US /ˈdisənsi/
- Australia /ˈdiːsənsi/
Decency has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-decency.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of decency
- decencies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decency mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The quality of being decent; propriety.
- 2
That which is proper or becoming.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decency in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense quality of being decent:
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 decency come from?
From Latin decentia, from decens. Equivalent to decent + -cy. Compare French décence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).