decimate

/ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/

//ˈdɛsɪmeɪt// verb

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

"decimate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decimate” is uncommon English (frequency #52,878 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,878
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To kill one-tenth of (a group), (historical, specifically) as a military punishment in the Roman army selected by lot, usually carried out by the surviving soldiers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-decimate · decimate · English

decimate · rank #52,878 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,878
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Daugherty

Nearest frequency peer: Daugherty (-2 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 “decimate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for decimate
PropertyValue
Headworddecimate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#52,878
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “decimate” in English

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).decimatefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Daugherty” (#52,876), “deform” (#52,880), “dammed” (#52,875). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decimate” is #52,878. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

decimate is uncommon English at frequency #52,878 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

decimate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is first attested in 1591, the noun in 1641; borrowed from Latin decimātus, perfect passive participle of decimō (“to kill one tenth; to tithe”) (see, from -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from decimus (“tenth”) + -ō (ver… The correct English form is decimate, spelled D-E-C-I-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To kill one-tenth of (a group), (historical, specifically) as a military punishment in the Roman army selected by lot, usually carried out by the surviving soldiers.
  2. 2
    To destroy or remove one-tenth of (something).
  3. 3
    To devastate: to reduce or destroy significantly but not completely.
  4. 4
    To exact a tithe or other 10% tax.
  5. 5
    To tithe: to pay a 10% tax.
  6. 6
    To divide into tenths; to decimalize.
  7. 7
    To reduce to one-tenth: to destroy or remove nine-tenths of (something).
  8. 8
    To replace (a high-resolution model) with another of lower but acceptable quality. (Usually algorithmically)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. God sometimes decimates or tithes delinquent persons, and they died for a common crime, according as God hath cast their lot in the decrees of predestination.
  2. Said to have been martyred as a Christian legionary commander of late Roman times for having refused an imperial order to kill one in ten (that is, decimate in the Roman meaning of the word) of the soldiers of another legion which had gone into revolt...

Etymology

The verb is first attested in 1591, the noun in 1641; borrowed from Latin decimātus, perfect passive participle of decimō (“to kill one tenth; to tithe”) (see, from -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from decimus (“tenth”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). As a noun, via Latin decimatus (“tithing area; tithing rights”).

This word in other languages

diezmar(Español)décimer(Français)dezimieren(Deutsch)dizimar(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 "decimate"?
"decimate" is spelled D-E-C-I-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/.
What does "decimate" mean?
As a verb, "decimate" means: To kill one-tenth of (a group), (historical, specifically) as a military punishment in the Roman army selected by lot, usually carried out by the surviving soldiers.
How do you pronounce "decimate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decimate" is /ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/. 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 "decimate"?
The verb is first attested in 1591, the noun in 1641; borrowed from Latin decimātus, perfect passive participle of decimō (“to kill one tenth; to tithe”) (see, from -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from decimus (“tenth”)... 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 "decimate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Deptford#52,888disquiet#52,898chickpea#52,857doodling#52,901

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list