decimevsdefineWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#13,434
“decime” frequency rank
#3,696
“define” frequency rank
17130
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decime define
Definition Decí (vos), con el enclítico me (pronombre). Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de definir.

Where the eye mixes decime and define

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
decime
6 ch
define

Why the eye confuses decime with define

A purely visual mix-up. decime ([d̪eˈsime]) and define ([d̪eˈfine]) 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 17130, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decime is recorded at frequency rank #13,434, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsime]. define is at rank #3,696, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈfine].

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 17130, this pair ranks #273,422 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decime vs define

Shared letters: dei. Private to "decime": cm. Private to "define": fn.

"decime" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "define" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decimedceime · ddecime · deccime · deciem · decimme · decmie · deicme · desime
  • defineddefine · deffine · defien · definne · defnie · deifne · dfeine · edfine

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "decime" and "define" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈsime] versus [d̪eˈfine]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "decime" vs "define" - which ranks higher?
"define" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,696 in our Spanish list, against #13,434 for "decime". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "decime" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "define" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #273,422 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decime" and "define" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decae vs decime". 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 #273,422 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