Which to use
“decidí” and “decidía” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,877
- “decidí” frequency rank
- #34,043
- “decidía” frequency rank
- 38920
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decidí | decidía |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. |
Where the eye mixes decidí and decidía
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. decidí runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against decidía's 7 (CVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between decidí and decidía
A purely visual mix-up. decidí ([d̪esiˈð̞i]) and decidía ([d̪esiˈð̞ia]) 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 extra letter(s) - “decidí” sits inside “decidía”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decidí is recorded at frequency rank #4,877, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞i]. decidía is at rank #34,043, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞ia].
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 38920, this pair ranks #167,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of decidí vs decidía
Shared letters: cdeií. Private to "decidí": -. Private to "decidía": a.
"decidí" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "decidía" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "decidí" and "decidía" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "decidí" vs "decidía" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "decidí" and "decidía" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "decidí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decidía" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #167,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decidí" and "decidía" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decidía vs decididas". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #167,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.