declare

/dɪˈklɛə/

//dɪˈklɛə// verb

"declare" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“declare” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,555. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,555
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make clear, explain, interpret.

Corpus desk

Index EN-declare · declare · English

declare · rank #6,555 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,555
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH crops

Nearest frequency peer: crops (-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 “declare”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “declare” 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).

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
PropertyValue
Headworddeclare
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈklɛə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,555
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “declare”

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).declarelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “crops” (#6,554), “cos” (#6,553), “detect” (#6,557). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “declare” is #6,555. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around declare (IPA /dɪˈklɛə/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,555 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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. 1
    To make clear, explain, interpret.
  2. 2
    To assert or announce formally, officially, explicitly, or emphatically.
  3. 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. 4
    To show one's cards in order to score.
  5. 5
    For a constituency in an election to officially announce the result
  6. 6
    The decision of the captain to let the bowling side bat in test cricket to save time without being all out.
  7. 7
    To explicitly establish the existence of (a variable, function, etc.) without necessarily describing its content.
  8. 8
    to declare war
  9. 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then answered Peter and sayd to him: declare unto us thys parable.
  2. To declare this a little, vve muſt aſſume, that the Surfaces of all ſuch Bodies, […] are exactly ſmooth only in a popular, or at moſt in a Phyſical ſenſe, but not in a ſtrict and rigid ſenſe.

Etymology

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

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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.

dcelare2ddeclare1decalre2decclare1declaer2declarre1decllare1declrae2
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "declare", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list