décimavsdecoraWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: décima is a noun, decora is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“décima” is a noun and “decora” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,562
“décima” frequency rank
#41,290
“decora” frequency rank
52852
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature décima decora
Definition Cada parte de las diez en que se dividen ciertas medidas, como los grados en un termómetro, las micras, etc. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decorar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décima and decora apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
décima
6 ch
decora

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décima is [ˈd̪esima] while decora is [d̪eˈkoɾa]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52852, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décima is recorded at frequency rank #11,562, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪esima]. decora is at rank #41,290, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈkoɾa].

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 52852, this pair ranks #90,693 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of décima vs decora

Shared letters: acd. Private to "décima": imé. Private to "decora": eor.

"décima" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "decora" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decoradceora · ddecora · deccora · decoar · decroa · deocra · edcora

Frequency comparison

décima#11,562
decora#41,290

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décima" and "decora" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "décima" is a noun and "decora" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "décima" or "decora"?
"décima" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,562 in our Spanish list, against #41,290 for "decora". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décima vs decora

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “décima”; for a verb, it's “decora”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “décima” 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