décimovsdecirConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#8,794
“décimo” frequency rank
#131
“decir” frequency rank
8925
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature décimo decir
Definition Que ocupa el puesto siguiente al noveno en una serie ordenada. Ordinal del diez. Manifestar con palabras el pensamiento.

Where the eye mixes décimo and decir

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

6 ch
décimo
5 ch
decir

Look-alike desk: décimo vs decir

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décimo is [ˈd̪esimo] while decir is [d̪eˈsiɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8925, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décimo is recorded at frequency rank #8,794, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈd̪esimo]. decir is at rank #131, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiɾ].

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 8925, this pair ranks #303,462 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of décimo vs decir

Shared letters: cdi. Private to "décimo": moé. Private to "decir": er.

"décimo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "decir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decirdceir · ddecir · deccir · decirr · decri · deicr · desir · edcir

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "décimo" and "decir" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "décimo" is a num and "decir" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "décimo" or "decir"?
"decir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #131 in our Spanish list, against #8,794 for "décimo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "décimo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #303,462 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "décimo" and "decir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decaído vs décimo". 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 #303,462 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