decidenvsdesdénWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#6,648
“deciden” frequency rank
#27,566
“desdén” frequency rank
34214
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deciden desdén
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. Frialdad u hostilidad en el trato que reflejan la poca estima que se tiene por alguien.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deciden and desdén apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
deciden
6 ch
desdén

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deciden is [d̪eˈsið̞ẽn] while desdén is [d̪esˈð̞ẽn]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deciden is recorded at frequency rank #6,648, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsið̞ẽn]. desdén is at rank #27,566, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪esˈð̞ẽn].

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 34214, this pair ranks #192,631 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deciden vs desdén

Shared letters: den. Private to "deciden": ci. Private to "desdén": .

"deciden" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "desdén" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decidendceiden · ddeciden · decciden · decdien · decidden · decidenn · decidne · deciedn

Frequency comparison

deciden#6,648
desdén#27,566

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deciden" and "desdén" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "deciden" is a verb and "desdén" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "deciden" or "desdén"?
"deciden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,648 in our Spanish list, against #27,566 for "desdén". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deciden vs desdén

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “deciden”; for a noun, it's “desdén”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “deciden” 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