decidesvsdecidíTell them apart

Which to use

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

#11,020
“decides” frequency rank
#4,877
“decidí” frequency rank
15897
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decides decidí
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse.

Where the eye mixes decides and decidí

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
decides
6 ch
decidí

Look-alike desk: decides vs decidí

A purely visual mix-up. decides ([d̪eˈsið̞es]) and decidí ([d̪esiˈð̞i]) 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 15897, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decides is recorded at frequency rank #11,020, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsið̞es]. decidí is at rank #4,877, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞i].

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 15897, this pair ranks #278,338 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decides vs decidí

Shared letters: cdei. Private to "decides": s. Private to "decidí": í.

"decides" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "decidí" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decidesdceides · ddecides · deccides · decdies · deciddes · decidess · decidse · decieds

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "decides" and "decidí" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsið̞es] versus [d̪esiˈð̞i]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "decides" vs "decidí" - which ranks higher?
"decidí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,877 in our Spanish list, against #11,020 for "decides". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "decides" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decidí" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #278,338 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decides" and "decidí" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decides vs dóciles". 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 #278,338 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