decry

/dɪˈkɹaɪ/

//dɪˈkɹaɪ// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"decry" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“decry” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,010. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,010
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To denounce as harmful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-decry · decry · English

decry · rank #47,010 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,010
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deferral

Nearest frequency peer: deferral (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “decry”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “decry” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

decry vs dry
60% similar
decry vs der
60% similar
decry vs dey
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for decry
PropertyValue
Headworddecry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈkɹaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#47,010
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “decry”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).decrylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “deferral” (#47,011), “dabs” (#47,006), “dabbling” (#47,005). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “decry” is #47,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around decry (IPA /dɪˈkɹaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #47,010 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for decry, with forms such as "dcery", "ddecry", and "deccry". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dry", "der", "dey", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: C. 1600, from Middle French decrier (“to denigrate; depreciate”), from Old French descrier (“to shout”) (modern décrier). Doublet of descry. The pejorative meaning had not been present in the Middle English loan, but it was present in the French word from a… The correct English form is decry, spelled D-E-C-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To denounce as harmful.
  2. 2
    To blame for ills.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how decry appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Nothing is more uſual and more natural for thoſe, vvho pretend to diſcover any thing nevv to the vvorld in philoſophy and the ſciences, than to inſinuate the praiſes of their ovvn ſystems, by decrying all thoſe, vvhich have been advanced before them.
  2. All of us seem to need some totalistic relationships in our lives. But to decry the fact that we cannot have only such relationships is nonsense.

Etymology

C. 1600, from Middle French decrier (“to denigrate; depreciate”), from Old French descrier (“to shout”) (modern décrier). Doublet of descry. The pejorative meaning had not been present in the Middle English loan, but it was present in the French word from at least the 13th century, with a meaning of "to denigrate; depreciate; to announce the depreciation or suppression of a currency", presumably from the interpretation of de- as meaning "down, inferior".

This word in other languages

censurar(Español)décrier(Français)herabsetzen(Deutsch)denunciar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dcery
  • ddecry
  • deccry
  • decrry
  • decryy
  • decyr
  • dercy
  • edcry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decry - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

dcery2ddecry1deccry1decrry1decryy1decyr2dercy2edcry2
Edit distance from "decry"

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

How do you spell "decry"?
"decry" is spelled D-E-C-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈkɹaɪ/.
What does "decry" mean?
As a verb, "decry" means: To denounce as harmful.
What words are commonly confused with "decry"?
"decry" is commonly confused with "dry", "der", "dey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "decry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "decry" is /dɪˈkɹaɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "decry"?
C. 1600, from Middle French decrier (“to denigrate; depreciate”), from Old French descrier (“to shout”) (modern décrier). Doublet of descry. The pejorative meaning had not been present in the Middle English loan, but it was present in the French w... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "decry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crone#47,002downy#47,024chums#46,980Enugu#47,041

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Cialis8 variantsChiara8 variantsCarrillo8 variantsbylaw8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list