décaper

\de.ka.pe\

/\de.ka.pe\/ verb

The verdict

“décaper” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Débarrasser un métal de la rouille, de l’oxyde qui s’est formé à sa surface.

Corpus desk

Index FR-decaper · décaper · French

décaper · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for décaper
PropertyValue
Headworddécaper
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\de.ka.pe\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « décaper » en français

décapern'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

décaper is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \de.ka.pe\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for décaper in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is décaper, spelled D-É-C-A-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Débarrasser un métal de la rouille, de l’oxyde qui s’est formé à sa surface.
  2. 2
    Débarrasser la surface d'un objet de sa couche supérieure.
  3. 3
    Attaquer violemment un organe.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. C'est cette industrie privée qui fondra les métaux , les alliera entre eux , les laminera , les décapera , les découpera, etc. , et la monnaie de Paris viendra seulement leur imprimer le sceau de l’État; c'est cependant de la fonte et de toutes les opérations qui la suivent que dépend l'identité de la monnaie.
  2. Quelquefois on décape l’argent à l'acide azotique, mais il faut employer de l’acide bien exempt de chlore, qui formerait du chlorure d’argent à la surface de l’objet. Le zinc se décape assez bien lorsqu'il n'est pas accompagné d’étain ou de plomb.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "décaper"?
"décaper" is spelled D-É-C-A-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \de.ka.pe\.
What does "décaper" mean?
As a verb, "décaper" means: Débarrasser un métal de la rouille, de l’oxyde qui s’est formé à sa surface.
How do you pronounce "décaper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "décaper" is \de.ka.pe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "décaper" come from?
"décaper" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list