Which to use
“decías” is a verb and “décimas” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,066
- “decías” frequency rank
- #29,178
- “décimas” frequency rank
- 44244
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decías | décimas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir. | Forma del femenino plural de décimo. |
Where the eye mixes decías and décimas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. decías runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against décimas's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: decías vs décimas
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decías is [d̪eˈsias] while décimas is [ˈd̪esimas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decías is recorded at frequency rank #15,066, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsias]. décimas is at rank #29,178, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈd̪esimas].
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 44244, this pair ranks #138,136 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decías vs décimas
Shared letters: acds. Private to "decías": eí. Private to "décimas": imé.
"decías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "décimas" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decías" for "décimas" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decías" or "décimas" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "decías" and "décimas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "decías" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décimas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #138,136 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decías" and "décimas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décimas vs dimas". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #138,136 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.