decoction
/dɪˈkɒkʃən/
"decoction" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“decoction” is uncommon English (frequency #84,156 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #84,156
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An extraction or essence of something, obtained by boiling it down.
Corpus desk
Index EN-decoction · decoction · English
decoction · rank #84,156 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #84,156
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH debase
Nearest frequency peer: debase (-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 “decoction”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Dawlish
Dawlish
15,850 corpus weight
- Deakins
Deakins
15,847 corpus weight
- debase
debase
15,846 corpus weight
- decoction
decoction
15,845 corpus weight
- derailleur
derailleur
15,842 corpus weight
- destructive…
destructively
15,840 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “decoction” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | decoction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈkɒkʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #84,156 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “decoction” in English
Rare enough to double-check
decoction is uncommon English at frequency #84,156 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪˈkɒkʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
decoction has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French decoccion, decoction, from Latin decoctiō, from decoquō (“I boil down”), from de- + coquō (“I cook”). The correct English form is decoction, spelled D-E-C-O-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1An extraction or essence of something, obtained by boiling it down.
- 2The process of boiling something down in this way.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how decoction appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[I]nſtead of Honey, Rob of Elder, Conſerve of Roſes, or Syrup of Violets; Glyſters, Pedilavia of emollient Decoctions with Nitre; or Elder, Vinegar, or Focus's of the ſame, applied with Sponges behind the Ears, to the Armpits, Groins, Hams, &c. or with Barley-water and a little Roſe-vinegar.
The transition is a keen one, I assure you, from a schoolmaster to a sailor, and requires a strong decoction of Seneca and the Stoics to enable you to grin and bear it.
Etymology
From Old French decoccion, decoction, from Latin decoctiō, from decoquō (“I boil down”), from de- + coquō (“I cook”).
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "decoction", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).