decívsdecíasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,935
“decí” frequency rank
#15,066
“decías” frequency rank
58001
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decí decías
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de decir. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir.

Where the eye mixes decí and decías

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. decí runs 4 letters (CVCV) against decías's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
decí
6 ch
decías

Visual trap between decí and decías

A purely visual mix-up. decí ([d̪eˈsi]) and decías ([d̪eˈsias]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “decí” sits inside “decías”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58001, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decí is recorded at frequency rank #42,935, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsi]. decías is at rank #15,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsias].

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 58001, this pair ranks #68,176 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of decí vs decías

Shared letters: cdeí. Private to "decí": -. Private to "decías": as.

"decí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "decías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "decí" and "decías" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsi] versus [d̪eˈsias]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decí" or "decías"?
"decías" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,066 in our Spanish list, against #42,935 for "decí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "decí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decías" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #68,176 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decí" and "decías" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decí vs Deva". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #68,176 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