Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), the most common form of laryngeal carcinoma, is an aggressive malignancy that demonstrates the second highest rate of morbidity of all head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRs) has been demonstrated in a number of types of human cancer, and they have been demonstrated to be oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes. miR‑503 has been studied in various types of human cancer; however, the expression level, roles and underlying mechanisms in LSCC remain unknown. In the present study, it was demonstrated that miR‑503 was significantly upregulated in LSCC tissues and cell lines. The level of miR‑503 in LSCC tissues was correlated with thyroid cartilage invasion, lymph node metastasis, and tumour, node and metastasis stage. In addition, down‑regulation of miR‑503 inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in LSCC. Programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) was identified to be a direct target gene of miR‑503. PDCD4 overexpression could mimic the roles of miR‑503 underexpression in LSCC. Furthermore, PDCD4 was down‑regulated in LSCC tissues and this correlated with the miR‑503 expression level. In conclusion, these results suggested that miR‑503 promotes tumour growth and invasion by directly targeting PDCD4. The identification of the miR‑503/PDCD4 axis may provide novel targets for LSCC treatment and improve prognosis.