decidíavsdecidirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,043
“decidía” frequency rank
#2,769
“decidir” frequency rank
36812
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decidía decidir
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decidir o de decidirse. Zanjar una cuestión, tomar una resolución definitiva.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decidía and decidir apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
decidía
7 ch
decidir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decidía ([d̪esiˈð̞ia]) and decidir ([d̪esiˈð̞iɾ]) 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 36812, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decidía is recorded at frequency rank #34,043, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞ia]. decidir is at rank #2,769, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞iɾ].

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 36812, this pair ranks #178,644 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decidía vs decidir

Shared letters: cdei. Private to "decidía": . Private to "decidir": r.

"decidía" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV  ·  "decidir" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decidirdceidir · ddecidir · deccidir · decdiir · deciddir · decidirr · decidri · deciidr

Frequency comparison

decidía#34,043
decidir#2,769

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decidía" and "decidir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esiˈð̞ia] versus [d̪esiˈð̞iɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "decidía" or "decidir"?
"decidir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,769 in our Spanish list, against #34,043 for "decidía". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering decidía vs decidir

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decidía” 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