once a decade

USAGE SUMMARY

'once a decade' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate a period of time that happens only every 10 years. For example: "Every once a decade, the town hosts a massive parade."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

30 human-written examples

They occurred about once a decade.

The New York Times - Magazine

Latin America seems to suffer about once a decade.

The Economist

Crashes seem to come round once a decade.

The Guardian - Business

Pandemics worldwide epidemics — of flu occur about once a decade.

The New York Times

Healthy patients need a test only once a decade.

The New York Times

That's lightning in a bottle - it happens once a decade.

The Guardian - Film

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

30 human-written examples

The census is merely a once-a-decade snapshot.

The Economist

There is always that once-a-decade hope in Flushing.

The New York Times

The scandal has disrupted the once-a-decade leadership transition scheduled to begin this fall.

The New York Times

A continuously running count will be more up to date than a once-a-decade snapshot.

The Economist

DEBORAH TREISMAN: More likely, a once-a-decade kind of thing.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "once a decade" to emphasize the infrequency and significance of an event. It can add a sense of importance or rarity to the occurrence.

Common error

Avoid using "once a decade" when referring to events that happen more or less frequently than every ten years. Ensure the context accurately reflects a ten-year interval.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "once a decade" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb to indicate the frequency of an action or event. It specifies that something occurs at intervals of ten years. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

64%

Formal & Business

18%

Science

18%

Less common in

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "once a decade" is a grammatically sound and widely understood adverbial phrase used to describe events that occur every ten years. As verified by Ludwig AI, this phrase is correct and usable in written English, effectively conveying the infrequency and potential significance of such events. Predominantly found in news and media contexts, it also appears in formal business and scientific writing. While "once a decade" is not the most common phrase, its directness and clarity make it a valuable tool for emphasizing the time scale of certain occurrences.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

every ten years

This is a direct and literal alternative, replacing the idiomatic "once" with a numerical specification.

every decade

A slightly simpler phrasing that emphasizes the duration of ten years as the interval.

occurring every decade

This phrase explicitly states the repetitive nature of the event over each decade.

decennially

A more formal, single-word adjective indicating something that occurs every ten years.

every tenth year

This phrase emphasizes each tenth year and the event that occurs in it.

at ten-year intervals

Highlights the fixed period between occurrences, focusing on the specific timeframe.

at intervals of a decade

This phrase emphasizes recurring at a specific frequency, using a more descriptive structure.

once each ten years

This phrase stretches out the concept, adding emphasis but maintaining the core meaning.

every tenth anniversary

This phrase emphasizes that it is anniversary (yearly cyclical event) that occurs every ten years

a ten-year event

This emphasizes event that repeats every ten years.

FAQs

How can I use "once a decade" in a sentence?

You can use "once a decade" to describe events that happen every ten years. For example, "The census is conducted "once a decade" to gather population data".

What's a simpler way to say "once a decade"?

A simpler alternative is to say "every ten years". Both phrases have the same meaning.

Is it correct to say "once in a decade" instead of "once a decade"?

While "once in a decade" might be understood, ""once a decade"" is the more standard and grammatically correct phrasing.

Can "once a decade" apply to future events, or only past ones?

"Once a decade" can apply to both past and future events, as long as the event is expected to occur at ten-year intervals. For example, "The festival is held "once a decade", with the next event scheduled for 2030".