decenavsdocenaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#25,593
“decena” frequency rank
#7,709
“docena” frequency rank
33302
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decena docena
Definition Conjunto formado por diez elementos. Conjunto formado por doce elementos.

Where the eye mixes decena and docena

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
decena
6 ch
docena

Visual trap between decena and docena

A purely visual mix-up. decena ([d̪eˈsena]) and docena ([d̪oˈsena]) 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 a single letter - e in “decena” becomes o in “docena”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33302, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decena is recorded at frequency rank #25,593, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈsena]. docena is at rank #7,709, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪oˈsena].

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 33302, this pair ranks #197,463 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decena vs docena

Shared letters: acden. Private to "decena": -. Private to "docena": o.

"decena" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "docena" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decenadceena · ddecena · deccena · decenna · decnea · deecna · edcena
  • docenadcoena · ddocena · doccena · docean · docenna · docnea · doecna · dosena

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decena" and "docena" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsena] versus [d̪oˈsena]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decena" or "docena"?
"docena" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,709 in our Spanish list, against #25,593 for "decena". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "decena" and "docena" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decena" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "docena" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #197,463 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decena" and "docena" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decena vs detenía". 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 #197,463 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list