Which to use
“decir” and “dejar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #131
- “decir” frequency rank
- #392
- “dejar” frequency rank
- 523
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decir | dejar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Manifestar con palabras el pensamiento. | Depositar o colocar una cosa en su sitio. |
Where the eye mixes decir and dejar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses decir with dejar
A purely visual mix-up. decir ([d̪eˈsiɾ]) and dejar ([d̪eˈxaɾ]) 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 523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decir is recorded at frequency rank #131, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsiɾ]. dejar is at rank #392, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈxaɾ].
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 523, this pair ranks #323,319 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decir vs dejar
Shared letters: der. Private to "decir": ci. Private to "dejar": aj.
"decir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dejar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "decir" for "dejar" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "decir" or "dejar" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "decir" and "dejar" 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 "dejar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #323,319 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decir" and "dejar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dejar vs Deva". 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 #323,319 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.