decívsdoceConfusable pair

Quick tell: decí is a verb, doce is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“decí” is a verb and “doce” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,935
“decí” frequency rank
#2,825
“doce” frequency rank
45760
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decí doce
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de decir. Once y uno.

Where the eye mixes decí and doce

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. decí and doce follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

4 ch
decí
4 ch
doce

Visual trap between decí and doce

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decí is [d̪eˈsi] while doce is [ˈd̪ose]. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45760, 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]. doce is at rank #2,825, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈd̪ose].

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 45760, this pair ranks #129,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decí vs doce

Shared letters: cde. Private to "decí": í. Private to "doce": o.

"decí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "doce" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • doce ← dcoe · ddoce · docce · doec · dose · odce

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decí" and "doce" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "decí" is a verb and "doce" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "decí" or "doce"?
"doce" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,825 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.

What to do next

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 "doce" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #129,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decí" and "doce" 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 #129,587 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