declare

Name: declare, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/dɪˈklɛə/

//dɪˈklɛə// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“declare” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,555 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,555
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make clear, explain, interpret.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

declare vs decline

71% similar

declare vs deflate

71% similar

declare vs declared

88% similar

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

Key facts for declare
Property	Value
Headword	declare
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/dɪˈklɛə/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#6,555
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “declare” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). declare lands here:

#6,555

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for declare is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈklɛə/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,555 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for declare, with forms such as "dcelare", "ddeclare", and "decalre". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "decline", "deflate", "declared", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English declaren, from Old French declarer, from Latin dēclārō (“to make clear”), from dē- + clārus (“clear”). The correct English form is declare, spelled D-E-C-L-A-R-E.

Definition

1
To make clear, explain, interpret.
2
To assert or announce formally, officially, explicitly, or emphatically.
3
To inform government customs or taxation officials of goods one is importing or of income, expenses, or other circumstances affecting one's taxes.
4
To show one's cards in order to score.
5
For a constituency in an election to officially announce the result
6
The decision of the captain to let the bowling side bat in test cricket to save time without being all out.
7
To explicitly establish the existence of (a variable, function, etc.) without necessarily describing its content.
8
to declare war
9
To state that a thing shall happen or affirm a condition in the hopes of seeing it happen spiritually, in contrast to prayer which takes the form of a request.

Etymology

From Middle English declaren, from Old French declarer, from Latin dēclārō (“to make clear”), from dē- + clārus (“clear”).

Synonyms

assert asseverate attest aver avouch avow certify claim confirm construct declare define depone dictate disclose inform initialize judge make known proclaim state swear

Antonyms

deinitialize dissolve

This word in other languages

explicar(Español)expliquer(Français)bekanntgeben(Deutsch)declarar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: dcelare,ddeclare,decalre,decclare,declaer,declarre,decllare,declrae,delcare,edclare

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of declare - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "declare"

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 "declare"?

"declare" is spelled D-E-C-L-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈklɛə/.

What does "declare" mean?

As a verb, "declare" means: To make clear, explain, interpret.

What words are commonly confused with "declare"?

"declare" is commonly confused with "decline", "deflate", "declared". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "declare"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "declare" is /dɪˈklɛə/. 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 "declare"?

From Middle English declaren, from Old French declarer, from Latin dēclārō (“to make clear”), from dē- + clārus (“clear”). 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.

Using “declare”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is D-E-C-L-A-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /dɪˈklɛə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “decline” - see the side-by-side comparison. declare vs decline
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.