Which to use
“decir” and “deducir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #131
- “decir” frequency rank
- #14,569
- “deducir” frequency rank
- 14700
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decir | deducir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Manifestar con palabras el pensamiento. | Derivar o producir una conclusión empleando el razonamiento a partir de algo conocido o asumido, es algo que concluyes de una forma razonable o lógica. |
Where the eye mixes decir and deducir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. decir runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against deducir's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses decir with deducir
A purely visual mix-up. decir ([d̪eˈsiɾ]) and deducir ([d̪eð̞uˈsiɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14700, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decir is recorded at frequency rank #131, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiɾ]. deducir is at rank #14,569, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eð̞uˈsiɾ].
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 14700, this pair ranks #283,105 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decir vs deducir
Shared letters: cdeir. Private to "decir": -. Private to "deducir": u.
"decir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "deducir" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decir" for "deducir" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decir" or "deducir" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "decir" and "deducir" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "decir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "deducir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #283,105 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decir" and "deducir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decir vs deli". 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 #283,105 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.