decían vs desvían, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#3,909
“decían” frequency rank: #43,521
“desvían” frequency rank: 47430
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	decían	desvían
Definition	Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir.	Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desviar o de desviarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decían and desvían apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

decían

7 ch

desvían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decían ([d̪eˈsiãn]) and desvían ([d̪esˈβ̞iãn]) 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 47430, 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]. desvían is at rank #43,521, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈβ̞iãn].

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 47430, this pair ranks #120,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decían vs desvían

Shared letters: adení. Private to "decían": c. Private to "desvían": sv.

"decían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "desvían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

decían#3,909

desvían#43,521

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decían" and "desvían" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsiãn] versus [d̪esˈβ̞iãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "decían" or "desvían"?

"decían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,909 in our Spanish list, against #43,521 for "desvían". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering decían vs desvían

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decían” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable