decaervsdejarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“decaer” and “dejar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,625
“decaer” frequency rank
#392
“dejar” frequency rank
39017
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decaer dejar
Definition Perder algo o alguien su fuerza, intensidad o valor. Depositar o colocar una cosa en su sitio.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decaer and dejar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
decaer
5 ch
dejar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decaer ([d̪ekaˈeɾ]) and dejar ([d̪eˈxaɾ]) 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 39017, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decaer is recorded at frequency rank #38,625, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪ekaˈeɾ]. dejar is at rank #392, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈxaɾ].

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 39017, this pair ranks #166,827 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decaer vs dejar

Shared letters: ader. Private to "decaer": c. Private to "dejar": j.

"decaer" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "dejar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decaerdceaer · ddecaer · deacer · decaerr · decare · deccaer · edcaer
  • dejarddejar · deajr · dejarr · dejjar · dejra · djear · edjar

Frequency comparison

decaer#38,625
dejar#392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decaer" and "dejar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪ekaˈeɾ] versus [d̪eˈxaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decaer" or "dejar"?
"dejar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #392 in our Spanish list, against #38,625 for "decaer". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering decaer vs dejar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decaer” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list