decimation

/ˌdɛsɪˈmeɪʃən/

//ˌdɛsɪˈmeɪʃən// noun

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

"decimation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decimation” is uncommon English (frequency #62,828 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,828
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The killing or punishment of every tenth person, usually by lot.

Corpus desk

Index EN-decimation · decimation · English

decimation · rank #62,828 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,828
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deceives

Nearest frequency peer: deceives (-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 “decimation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for decimation
PropertyValue
Headworddecimation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɛsɪˈmeɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#62,828
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “decimation” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).decimationfalls 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: “deceives” (#62,827), “deeded” (#62,830), “dearie” (#62,825). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decimation” is #62,828. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

decimation is uncommon English at frequency #62,828 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdɛsɪˈmeɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for decimation, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin decimātiō, a punishment where every 10th man in a unit would be stoned to death by the men who were spared. Used by the Romans to keep order in their military. Compare septimation and vicesimation. The correct English form is decimation, spelled D-E-C-I-M-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The killing or punishment of every tenth person, usually by lot.
  2. 2
    The killing or destruction of any large portion of a population.
  3. 3
    A tithe or the act of tithing.
  4. 4
    The creation of a new sequence comprising only every nth element of a source sequence.
  5. 5
    The creation of a new sequence comprising only every nth element of a source sequence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. By decimation and a tythed death; / If thy Reuenges hunger for that Food, / Which Nature loathes, take thou the deſtin'd tenth, […]
  2. And the vvhole Army had cauſe to enquire into their own Rebellions, vvhen they ſavv the Lord of Hoſts, vvith a dreadful Decimation, taking off ſo many of our Brethren by the vvorſt of Executioners.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin decimātiō, a punishment where every 10th man in a unit would be stoned to death by the men who were spared. Used by the Romans to keep order in their military. Compare septimation and vicesimation.

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 "decimation"?
"decimation" is spelled D-E-C-I-M-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛsɪˈmeɪʃən/.
What does "decimation" mean?
As a noun, "decimation" means: The killing or punishment of every tenth person, usually by lot.
How do you pronounce "decimation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decimation" is /ˌdɛsɪˈmeɪʃən/. 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 "decimation"?
Borrowed from Latin decimātiō, a punishment where every 10th man in a unit would be stoned to death by the men who were spared. Used by the Romans to keep order in their military. Compare septimation and vicesimation. 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 "decimation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

detainment#62,835Diocletian#62,840disdainful#62,842downloader#62,851

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list