Example
a decrease (noun)
The neutral partner of a fall. 'A decrease in' for the thing, 'a decrease of' for the amount.
There was a decrease of 8% in household water use.
Written by Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi
11 alternatives
The neutral partner of a fall. 'A decrease in' for the thing, 'a decrease of' for the amount.
There was a decrease of 8% in household water use.
A clear fall between two points; slightly more vivid than a fall.
The chart shows a drop of 5,000 visitors between July and August.
A gradual, longer-term fall.
The figures show a steady decline in newspaper sales after 2005.
The overall direction over several points; good for an overview.
Birth rates followed a downward trend in all four countries.
Don't swap blindly: Not for one isolated fall.
A small fall that is usually followed by recovery.
After a brief dip in 2014, visitor numbers continued to rise.
Don't swap blindly: Not for a large or lasting fall.
A fall that someone caused, such as a policy or a decision.
The new law led to a reduction in plastic bag use of around 80%.
Don't swap blindly: It suggests a cause. For data with no stated cause, 'a fall' is safer.
A sudden fall that stays low, typical of sales and economies.
The slump in car sales lasted from 2009 until 2011.
A period when business or economic activity weakens.
Hotel bookings fell sharply during the economic downturn of 2009.
A sudden, severe fall to a very low level.
The collapse of the fishing industry cut local employment by half.
Don't swap blindly: Only for dramatic falls; it overstates an ordinary decline.
A formal, economic word for something getting smaller: an economy, a market, output.
Manufacturing output saw a contraction of 3% in 2020.
A deliberate reduction, decided by someone.
A cut in public funding meant fewer evening classes after 2012.
Don't swap blindly: Not for natural changes such as rainfall or birth rates.
Paraphrasing
Band tip: the public IELTS Writing band descriptors for Lexical Resource describe Band 7 as using “less common lexical items” with “some awareness of style and collocation”. A synonym that changes your meaning or breaks a collocation works against you, so choose the word that fits the sentence, not the rarest one you know.
In context
The most striking feature is the steady decline in television viewing among teenagers, from 21 hours a week in 2005 to 9 hours in 2025. After a brief dip in 2008, the figure stabilised, but from 2012 onwards there was a sharp drop each year as streaming services became popular.
A drop and a decrease are neutral. A decline is gradual, a dip is small and temporary, a slump is sudden and lasting, and a downturn refers to economic activity. Choose by the shape of the line.
A reduction suggests someone reduced something on purpose. A fall just describes the change. If the chart shows no cause, use a fall, a drop or a decline.
No. A downfall is the loss of power or success of a person or organisation. It is never used for falling figures.
Use level off, stabilise or bottom out. For example: 'Unemployment bottomed out at 4% in 2019 and then rose slightly.'
Practise
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