decenasvsdecentesTell them apart

Which to use

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

#5,299
“decenas” frequency rank
#17,660
“decentes” frequency rank
22959
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decenas decentes
Definition Forma del femenino plural de deceno. Forma del plural de decente.

Where the eye mixes decenas and decentes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. decenas runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against decentes's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
decenas
8 ch
decentes

Why the eye confuses decenas with decentes

A purely visual mix-up. decenas ([d̪eˈsenas]) and decentes ([d̪eˈsẽn̪t̪es]) 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 22959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decenas is recorded at frequency rank #5,299, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪eˈsenas]. decentes is at rank #17,660, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪eˈsẽn̪t̪es].

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 22959, this pair ranks #247,982 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decenas vs decentes

Shared letters: cdens. Private to "decenas": a. Private to "decentes": t.

"decenas" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "decentes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decenas ← dceenas · ddecenas · deccenas · deceans · decenass · decennas · decensa · decneas
  • decentes ← dceentes · ddecentes · deccentes · decenets · decenntes · decentess · decentse · decenttes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "decenas" for "decentes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsenas] versus [d̪eˈsẽn̪t̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "decenas" vs "decentes" - which ranks higher?
"decenas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,299 in our Spanish list, against #17,660 for "decentes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decenas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decentes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #247,982 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decenas" and "decentes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decentes vs detente". 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 #247,982 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