deke

/diːk/

//diːk// noun

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

"deke" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deke” is uncommon English (frequency #57,330 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,330
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A feint, fake, or other move made by the player with the puck to deceive a goaltender or defenceman.

Key facts for deke
PropertyValue
Headworddeke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/diːk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#57,330
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “deke” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). deke lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deke is uncommon English at frequency #57,330 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /diːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

deke doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Canadian English, a contraction of decoy. The correct English form is deke, spelled D-E-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feint, fake, or other move made by the player with the puck to deceive a goaltender or defenceman.
  2. 2
    As in hockey, a fake or other move to confuse other players on a team.
  3. 3
    A quick detour.

Etymology

Canadian English, a contraction of decoy.

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 "deke"?
"deke" is spelled D-E-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /diːk/.
What does "deke" mean?
As a noun, "deke" means: A feint, fake, or other move made by the player with the puck to deceive a goaltender or defenceman.
How do you pronounce "deke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deke" is /diːk/. 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 "deke"?
Canadian English, a contraction of decoy. 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.

Using “deke”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /diːk/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list