decoy
/ˈdiːkɔɪ/noun, verb
decoy is spelled D-E-C-O-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, decoy means “A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of decoy is decoys.
How many letters and syllables are in decoy?
| Letters | 5: D-E-C-O-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd 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 decoy?
Decoy appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd 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 decoy?
- UK /ˈdiːkɔɪ/
Decoy has 2 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: En-us-decoy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of decoy
- decoys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- decoying participle, present
- decoyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decoy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
- 2
A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
- 3
Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
- 4
An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.
verb
- 1
To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net
- 2
To act as, or use, a decoy.
As they were being decoyed, the rescue team carried the hostage and quietly slipped away.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decoy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | leurre, appât , appâter, leurrer, piéger |
| German | Lockvogel, Köder , ködern, locken |
| Portuguese | chamariz |
| Spanish | señuelo, carnada, añagaza , cimbel |
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 decoy come from?
From Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).