decívsdecirConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#42,935
“decí” frequency rank
#131
“decir” frequency rank
43066
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decí decir
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de decir. Manifestar con palabras el pensamiento.

Where the eye mixes decí and decir

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. decí runs 4 letters (CVCV) against decir's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
decí
5 ch
decir

Visual trap between decí and decir

A purely visual mix-up. decí ([d̪eˈsi]) and decir ([d̪eˈsiɾ]) 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 43066, 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]. decir is at rank #131, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiɾ].

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 43066, this pair ranks #144,718 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decí vs decir

Shared letters: cde. Private to "decí": í. Private to "decir": ir.

"decí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "decir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decir ← dceir · ddecir · deccir · decirr · decri · deicr · desir · edcir

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "decí" for "decir" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsi] versus [d̪eˈsiɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decí" or "decir" show up more?
"decir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #131 in our Spanish list, against #42,935 for "decí". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #144,718 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decí" and "decir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decí vs Deva". 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 #144,718 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