decide

/dɪˈsaɪd/

//dɪˈsaɪd// verb

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

"decide" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decide” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,715. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,715
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-decide · decide · English

decide · rank #1,715 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,715
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH customers

Nearest frequency peer: customers (-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 “decide”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “decide” 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).

decide vs device
67% similar
decide vs desire
67% similar
decide vs define
67% similar

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

Key facts for decide
PropertyValue
Headworddecide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈsaɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,715
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “decide”

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).decidelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “customers” (#1,714), “dinner” (#1,716), “cat” (#1,713). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decide” is #1,715. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around decide (IPA /dɪˈsaɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,715 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for decide, with forms such as "dceide", "ddecide", and "deccide". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "device", "desire", "define", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, infinitive of dēcīdō (“cut off, decide”), from dē (“down from”) + caedō (“cut”). The correct English form is decide, spelled D-E-C-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
  2. 2
    To make a judgment, especially after deliberation.
  3. 3
    To cause someone to come to a decision.
  4. 4
    Of a Turing machine: to return a correct answer (for some yes-or-no problem) on every possible input.
  5. 5
    To cut off; to separate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The election will be decided on foreign policies.
  2. It was decided to meet here at midnight.

Etymology

From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, infinitive of dēcīdō (“cut off, decide”), from dē (“down from”) + caedō (“cut”).

Synonyms

choose updecidedeterminefindjudgeposkenmake a decisionmake up one's mindtake a decisionwork out

Antonyms

jump to conclusionsrush to judgement

This word in other languages

decidir(Español)décider(Français)entscheiden(Deutsch)decidir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dceide
  • ddecide
  • deccide
  • decdie
  • decied
  • deicde
  • edcide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decide - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

dceide2ddecide1deccide1decdie2decied2deicde2edcide2
Edit distance from "decide"

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 "decide"?
"decide" is spelled D-E-C-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈsaɪd/.
What does "decide" mean?
As a verb, "decide" means: To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle.
What words are commonly confused with "decide"?
"decide" is commonly confused with "device", "desire", "define". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "decide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decide" is /dɪˈsaɪd/. 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 "decide"?
From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin dēcīdere, infinitive of dēcīdō (“cut off, decide”), from dē (“down from”) + caedō (“cut”). 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 "decide", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dinner#1,716spirit#1,704movies#1,699leaves#1,698

Similar misspelling depth

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

apart7 variantsproud7 variantswinner7 variantsstone7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list