Which to use
“decides” and “decode” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,490
- “decides” frequency rank
- #28,168
- “decode” frequency rank
- 33658
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decides | decode |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of decide | To convert from an encrypted form to plain text. |
Where the eye mixes decides and decode
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: decides vs decode
A purely visual mix-up. decides (/dɪˈsaɪdz/) and decode (/dɪˈkəʊd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decides is recorded at frequency rank #5,490, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈsaɪdz/. decode is at rank #28,168, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈkəʊd/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 33658, this pair ranks #327,515 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decides vs decode
Shared letters: cde. Private to "decides": is. Private to "decode": o.
"decides" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "decode" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "decides" and "decode" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "decides" or "decode" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "decides" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decode" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #327,515 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decides" and "decode" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decode vs depose". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #327,515 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.