Which to use
“debí” and “decid” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,811
- “debí” frequency rank
- #40,228
- “decid” frequency rank
- 55039
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debí | decid |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de deber. | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del imperativo afirmativo de decir. |
Where the eye mixes debí and decid
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. debí runs 4 letters (CVCV) against decid's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: debí vs decid
A purely visual mix-up. debí ([d̪eˈβ̞i]) and decid ([d̪eˈsið̞]) 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 55039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debí is recorded at frequency rank #14,811, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞i]. decid is at rank #40,228, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsið̞].
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 55039, this pair ranks #80,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of debí vs decid
Shared letters: de. Private to "debí": bí. Private to "decid": ci.
"debí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "decid" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- decid ← dceid · ddecid · deccid · decdi · decidd · deicd · desid · edcid
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "debí" and "decid" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "debí" or "decid" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "debí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decid" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #80,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debí" and "decid" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decid vs deli". 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 #80,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.