decouple
[diːˈkʌpəɫ]
"decouple" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“decouple” is an uncommon English word, ranked #81,258 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #81,258
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To unlink; to take apart or come apart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | decouple |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [diːˈkʌpəɫ] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #81,258 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “decouple” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for decouple is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [diːˈkʌpəɫ]. Corpus data places it at rank #81,258 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for decouple, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French découpler. By surface analysis, de- + couple. The correct English form is decouple, spelled D-E-C-O-U-P-L-E.
Definition
- 1To unlink; to take apart or come apart.
- 2To muffle the seismic waves of (a nuclear explosion) by performing it underground.
Etymology
From Middle French découpler. By surface analysis, de- + couple.
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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Using “decouple”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-C-O-U-P-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [diːˈkʌpəɫ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.