Which to use
“decide” and “decirle” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,041
- “decide” frequency rank
- #2,245
- “decirle” frequency rank
- 5286
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decide | decirle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. | Decir, con el enclítico le (pronombre). |
Where the eye mixes decide and decirle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between decide and decirle
A purely visual mix-up. decide ([d̪eˈsið̞e]) and decirle ([d̪eˈsiɾle]) 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 5286, 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]. decirle is at rank #2,245, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiɾle].
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 5286, this pair ranks #314,016 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decide vs decirle
Shared letters: cdei. Private to "decide": -. Private to "decirle": lr.
"decide" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "decirle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "decide" and "decirle" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decide" or "decirle" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "decide" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decirle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #314,016 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decide" and "decirle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decae vs decide". 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 #314,016 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.