decálogo vs diálogo, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#42,378
“decálogo” frequency rank: #2,445
“diálogo” frequency rank: 44823
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	decálogo	diálogo
Definition	Conjunto de mandamientos o leyes que según la Biblia entregó Dios a Moisés.	Interacción verbal entre dos o más personas.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decálogo and diálogo apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch

decálogo

7 ch

diálogo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decálogo ([d̪eˈkaloɣ̞o]) and diálogo ([ˈd̪jaloɣ̞o]) 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 44823, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decálogo is recorded at frequency rank #42,378, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈkaloɣ̞o]. diálogo is at rank #2,445, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪jaloɣ̞o].

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 44823, this pair ranks #134,918 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decálogo vs diálogo

Shared letters: dgloá. Private to "decálogo": ce. Private to "diálogo": i.

"decálogo" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "diálogo" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV

Frequency comparison

decálogo#42,378

diálogo#2,445

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decálogo" and "diálogo" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈkaloɣ̞o] versus [ˈd̪jaloɣ̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "decálogo" or "diálogo"?

"diálogo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,445 in our Spanish list, against #42,378 for "decálogo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering decálogo vs diálogo

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 “decálogo” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable