Which to use
“decae” and “decían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,929
- “decae” frequency rank
- #3,909
- “decían” frequency rank
- 52838
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decae | decían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decaer. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir. |
Where the eye mixes decae and decían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. decae runs 5 letters (CVCVV) against decían's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: decae vs decían
A purely visual mix-up. decae ([d̪eˈkae]) and decían ([d̪eˈsiãn]) 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 52838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decae is recorded at frequency rank #48,929, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈkae]. decían is at rank #3,909, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiãn].
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 52838, this pair ranks #90,758 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decae vs decían
Shared letters: acde. Private to "decae": -. Private to "decían": ní.
"decae" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "decían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- decae ← dceae · ddecae · deace · deccae · edcae
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decae" for "decían" ever safe?
Frequency check: "decae" vs "decían" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "decae" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #90,758 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decae" and "decían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decae vs Deva". 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 #90,758 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.