décence

\de.sɑ̃s\

/\de.sɑ̃s\/ noun

The verdict

“décence” has 11 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #18,722. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,722
frequency rank, French
404,891
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Bienséance, ce qui est décent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

décence vs défense
71% similar
décence vs devenue
57% similar
décence vs dénonce
71% similar

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

Key facts for décence
PropertyValue
Headworddécence
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\de.sɑ̃s\
Letters7
Frequency rank#18,722
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “décence” sits in French 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). décence lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around décence (IPA \de.sɑ̃s\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,722 among 404,891 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for décence, with forms such as "dcéence", "ddécence", and "decence". 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, "défense", "devenue", "dénonce", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is décence, spelled D-É-C-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bienséance, ce qui est décent.
  2. 2
    Bienséance en ce qui concerne les bonnes mœurs.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dcéence
  • ddécence
  • decence
  • déccence
  • décecne
  • décencce
  • décenec
  • décennce
  • décnece
  • déecnce
  • édcence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of décence - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

dcéence2ddécence1decence1déccence1décecne2décencce1décenec2décennce1
Edit distance from "décence"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "décence"?
"décence" is spelled D-É-C-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \de.sɑ̃s\.
What does "décence" mean?
As a noun, "décence" means: Bienséance, ce qui est décent.
What words are commonly confused with "décence"?
"décence" is commonly confused with "défense", "devenue", "dénonce". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "décence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "décence" is \de.sɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "décence" come from?
"décence" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “décence”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-É-C-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \de.sɑ̃s\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “défense” - see the side-by-side comparison. décence vs défense
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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