decidevsdécimaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: decide is a verb, décima is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“decide” is a verb and “décima” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,041
“decide” frequency rank
#11,562
“décima” frequency rank
14603
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decide décima
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. Cada parte de las diez en que se dividen ciertas medidas, como los grados en un termómetro, las micras, etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decide and décima apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
decide
6 ch
décima

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

decide and décima form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14603, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decide is recorded at frequency rank #3,041, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsið̞e]. 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 14603, this pair ranks #283,468 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

decide#3,041
décima#11,562

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decide" and "décima" be used interchangeably?
No, "decide" and "décima" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering decide vs décima

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “decide”; for a noun, it's “décima”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decide” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list