decidavsdescuidaTell them apart

Which to use

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

#9,273
“decida” frequency rank
#26,802
“descuida” frequency rank
36075
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decida descuida
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de decidir o de decidirse. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de descuidar.

Where the eye mixes decida and descuida

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. decida runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against descuida's 8 (CVCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
decida
8 ch
descuida

Look-alike desk: decida vs descuida

A purely visual mix-up. decida ([d̪eˈsið̞a]) and descuida ([d̪esˈkwið̞a]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decida is recorded at frequency rank #9,273, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsið̞a]. descuida is at rank #26,802, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈkwið̞a].

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 36075, this pair ranks #182,614 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decida vs descuida

Shared letters: acdei. Private to "decida": -. Private to "descuida": su.

"decida" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "descuida" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decida ← dceida · ddecida · deccida · decdia · deciad · decidda · deicda · desida
  • descuida ← ddescuida · decsuida · desccuida · desciuda · descudia · descuiad · descuidda · desscuida

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decida" and "descuida" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsið̞a] versus [d̪esˈkwið̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "decida" vs "descuida" - which ranks higher?
"decida" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,273 in our Spanish list, against #26,802 for "descuida". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "decida" and "descuida" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decida" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "descuida" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #182,614 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decida" and "descuida" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "describa vs descuida". 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 #182,614 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