decorate
dec·or·ate/ˈdɛkəɹeɪt/verb
decorate is spelled D-E-C-O-R-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (dec·or·ate). It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, decorate means “To furnish with decorations” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in decorate?
| Letters | 8: D-E-C-O-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: dec·or·ate |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 18,064th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is decorate?
Decorate appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce decorate?
- /ˈdɛkəɹeɪt/
Decorate has 3 syllables, split dec·or·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-decorate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of decorate
- decorates present, singular, he/she/it
- decorating participle, present
- decorated participle, past
- more decorate comparative
- most decorate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decorate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To furnish with decorations.
We decorated the Christmas tree with tinsel and baubles.
- 2
To improve the appearance of an interior of, as a house, room, or office.
There's some paint left over from when we decorated the guest bedroom.
- 3
To improve the appearance of an interior of, as a house, room, or office.
People tend to decorate for the holidays or special events.
- 4
To honor by providing a medal, ribbon, or other adornment.
He was decorated for his service in three wars.
- 5
To extend a method, etc. by attaching some further code item.
It makes sure that the field name argument is not empty, and that the field specified there is an actual existing field in the class which declares the method decorated with this attribute.
adjective
- 1
archaicobsoletedecorated, adorned
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decorate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décorer, orner |
| German | ausschmücken, dekorieren , tapezieren, streichen |
| Portuguese | decorar |
| Spanish | decorar, engalanar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does decorate come from?
From Middle English decorat (“adorned”), from Latin decorātus, perfect passive participle of decorō (“to adorn, distinguish, honor”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from decus (“ornament, grace, dignity, honor”, decor- in compounds), akin to decor (“elegance, grace, beauty, ornament”), from decet (“adorn, befit”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).