Which to use
“decí” is a verb and “deir” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,935
- “decí” frequency rank
- #46,473
- “deir” frequency rank
- 89408
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decí | deir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de decir. | Mutación suave del adjetivo numeral cardinal femenino teir ('tres') |
Where the eye mixes decí and deir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. decí (CVCV) and deir (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: decí vs deir
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decí is [d̪eˈsi] while deir is [ˈdɛjr]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89408, 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]. deir is at rank #46,473, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈdɛjr].
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 89408, this pair ranks #3,154 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of decí vs deir
Shared letters: de. Private to "decí": cí. Private to "deir": ir.
"decí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "deir" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- deir ← ddeir · deirr · deri · edir
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decí" for "deir" ever safe?
Which is more common, "decí" or "deir"?
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 "deir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #3,154 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decí" and "deir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deir 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 #3,154 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.