declension

/dɪˈklɛn.ʃən/

//dɪˈklɛn.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“declension” is uncommon English (frequency #65,821 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,821
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A falling off, decay or descent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-declension · declension · English

declension · rank #65,821 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,821
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH declaratory

Nearest frequency peer: declaratory (-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 “declension”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for declension
PropertyValue
Headworddeclension
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈklɛn.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#65,821
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “declension” 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).declensionfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “declaratory” (#65,820), “dehumidifier” (#65,822), “demobilization” (#65,824). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “declension” is #65,821. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

declension is uncommon English at frequency #65,821 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪˈklɛn.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for declension in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From late Middle English declinson, from Middle French declinaison (Modern French: déclinaison), from Latin dēclīnātiō. Doublet of declination. The correct English form is declension, spelled D-E-C-L-E-N-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A falling off, decay or descent.
  2. 2
    The act of declining a word; the act of listing the inflections of a noun, pronoun or adjective in order.
  3. 3
    The product of that act; a list of declined forms.
  4. 4
    A way of categorizing nouns, pronouns, or adjectives according to the inflections they receive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Refinement of feeling, intellectual tastes, and a noble hospitality, were among the features of his character; and hoary years brought no mental declension, and drew no shade over the ardent affections by which he was distinguished, and in whose reciprocity, was his undeclining solace.
  2. The custom of rolling a burning wheel down a hill […] might well pass for an imitation of the sun's course in the sky, and the imitation would be especially appropriate on Midsummer Day when the sun's annual declension begins.

Etymology

From late Middle English declinson, from Middle French declinaison (Modern French: déclinaison), from Latin dēclīnātiō. Doublet of declination.

Synonyms

declination

This word in other languages

declinación(Español)déclinaison(Français)Deklination(Deutsch)

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 "declension"?
"declension" is spelled D-E-C-L-E-N-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈklɛn.ʃən/.
What does "declension" mean?
As a noun, "declension" means: A falling off, decay or descent.
How do you pronounce "declension"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "declension" is /dɪˈklɛn.ʃən/. 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 "declension"?
From late Middle English declinson, from Middle French declinaison (Modern French: déclinaison), from Latin dēclīnātiō. Doublet of declination. 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 "declension", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dialectics#65,830crossbones#65,804Circassian#65,781evidential#65,871

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list