Which to use
“decían” is a verb and “décima” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,909
- “decían” frequency rank
- #11,562
- “décima” frequency rank
- 15471
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decían | décima |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir. | Cada parte de las diez en que se dividen ciertas medidas, como los grados en un termómetro, las micras, etc. |
Where the eye mixes decían and décima
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decían is [d̪eˈsiãn] while décima is [ˈd̪esima]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15471, 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]. décima is at rank #11,562, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪esima].
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 15471, this pair ranks #280,013 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decían vs décima
Shared letters: acd. Private to "decían": ení. Private to "décima": imé.
"decían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "décima" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "decían" and "décima" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "decían" or "décima"?
What to do next
You've compared "decían" and "décima". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "decían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décima" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #280,013 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decían" and "décima" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decí vs décima". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.