decorative
/ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.tɪv/adjective, noun
decorative is spelled D-E-C-O-R-A-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, decorative means “That serves to decorate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in decorative?
| Letters | 10: D-E-C-O-R-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.3 times per million words; the 9,594th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is decorative?
Decorative appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th 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 decorative?
- UK /ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.tɪv/
- UK /ˈdɛk.ɹə.tɪv/
- US /ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.tɪv/
Decorative has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-decorative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of decorative
- more decorative comparative
- most decorative superlative
- decoratives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decorative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That serves to decorate
Decorative embellishments give the home an elegant touch.
- 2
That has no functional purpose.
The phone on the film set doesn't work, it's purely decorative.
noun
- 1
A plant, tile, etc. intended for use as decoration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decorative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense that serves to decorate:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décoratif |
| German | dekorativ |
| Portuguese | decorativo |
| Spanish | decorativo |
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 decorative come from?
From Latin decorātus + -ive. Cognate with French décoratif.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).