decidívsdécimoTell them apart

Quick tell: decidí is a verb, décimo is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“decidí” is a verb and “décimo” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,877
“decidí” frequency rank
#8,794
“décimo” frequency rank
13671
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decidí décimo
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. Que ocupa el puesto siguiente al noveno en una serie ordenada. Ordinal del diez.

Where the eye mixes decidí and décimo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

6 ch
decidí
6 ch
décimo

Look-alike desk: decidí vs décimo

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decidí is [d̪esiˈð̞i] while décimo is [ˈd̪esimo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13671, 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]. décimo is at rank #8,794, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈd̪esimo].

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 13671, this pair ranks #286,964 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decidí vs décimo

Shared letters: cdi. Private to "decidí": . Private to "décimo": moé.

"decidí" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "décimo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decidí" and "décimo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "decidí" is a verb and "décimo" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decidí" or "décimo" show up more?
"decidí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,877 in our Spanish list, against #8,794 for "décimo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "decidí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "décimo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #286,964 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decidí" and "décimo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decaído vs décimo". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #286,964 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