Which to use
“decides” and “decidió” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,020
- “decides” frequency rank
- #1,893
- “decidió” frequency rank
- 12913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decides | decidió |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. |
Where the eye mixes decides and decidió
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: decides vs decidió
A purely visual mix-up. decides ([d̪eˈsið̞es]) and decidió ([d̪esiˈð̞jo]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12913, 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]. decidió is at rank #1,893, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞jo].
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 12913, this pair ranks #289,813 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decides vs decidió
Shared letters: cdei. Private to "decides": s. Private to "decidió": ó.
"decides" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "decidió" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- decides ← dceides · ddecides · deccides · decdies · deciddes · decidess · decidse · decieds
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decides" for "decidió" ever safe?
Frequency check: "decides" vs "decidió" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "decides" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decidió" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #289,813 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decides" and "decidió" 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 #289,813 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.