decíanvsdecidWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,909
“decían” frequency rank
#40,228
“decid” frequency rank
44137
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decían decid
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del imperativo afirmativo de decir.

Where the eye mixes decían and decid

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

6 ch
decían
5 ch
decid

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decían ([d̪eˈsiãn]) and decid ([d̪eˈsið̞]) 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 44137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decían is recorded at frequency rank #3,909, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiãn]. decid is at rank #40,228, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsið̞].

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 44137, this pair ranks #138,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decían vs decid

Shared letters: cde. Private to "decían": aní. Private to "decid": i.

"decían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "decid" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deciddceid · ddecid · deccid · decdi · decidd · deicd · desid · edcid

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decían" and "decid" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsiãn] versus [d̪eˈsið̞]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decían" or "decid"?
"decían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,909 in our Spanish list, against #40,228 for "decid". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

You've compared "decían" and "decid". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decid" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #138,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decían" and "decid" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decid vs deli". 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

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list