Which to use
“decida” is a verb and “dolida” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,273
- “decida” frequency rank
- #47,750
- “dolida” frequency rank
- 57023
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decida | dolida |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de decidir o de decidirse. | Forma del femenino de dolido, participio de doler o de dolerse. |
Where the eye mixes decida and dolida
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between decida and dolida
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decida is [d̪eˈsið̞a] while dolida is [d̪oˈlið̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57023, 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]. dolida is at rank #47,750, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪oˈlið̞a].
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 57023, this pair ranks #72,187 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of decida vs dolida
Shared letters: adi. Private to "decida": ce. Private to "dolida": lo.
"decida" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "dolida" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "decida" and "dolida" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decida" or "dolida" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "decida" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dolida" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,187 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decida" and "dolida" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Dalila vs dolida". 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 #72,187 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.