décennal

\de.sɛ.nal\

/\de.sɛ.nal\/ adj

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

The verdict

“décennal” is uncommon French (frequency #71,449 among 404,891 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,449
frequency rank, French
404,891
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui dure dix ans ou qui revient tous les dix ans.

Key facts for décennal
PropertyValue
Headworddécennal
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\de.sɛ.nal\
Letters8
Frequency rank#71,449
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “décennal” 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). décennal 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

décennal is uncommon French at frequency #71,449 among 404,891 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \de.sɛ.nal\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for décennal, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is décennal, spelled D-É-C-E-N-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui dure dix ans ou qui revient tous les dix ans.
  2. 2
    Qui se produit en moyenne tous les dix ans.
  3. 3
    Qui a une chance sur dix de se produire chaque année.
  4. 4
    Vieux de dix ans.

This word in other languages

decennial(English)

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 "décennal"?
"décennal" is spelled D-É-C-E-N-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is \de.sɛ.nal\.
What does "décennal" mean?
As an adjective, "décennal" means: Qui dure dix ans ou qui revient tous les dix ans.
How do you pronounce "décennal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "décennal" is \de.sɛ.nal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "décennal" come from?
"décennal" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “décennal”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-É-C-E-N-N-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \de.sɛ.nal\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French 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