decovsdeisWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#41,289
“deco” frequency rank
#31,304
“deis” frequency rank
72593
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deco deis
Definition Decoración. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de dar o de darse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deco and deis apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
deco
4 ch
deis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deco is [ˈd̪eko] while deis is [ˈd̪ejs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 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 72593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deco is recorded at frequency rank #41,289, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪eko]. deis is at rank #31,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪ejs].

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 72593, this pair ranks #25,026 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of deco vs deis

Shared letters: de. Private to "deco": co. Private to "deis": is.

"deco" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "deis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decodceo · ddeco · decco · deoc · edco
  • deisddeis · deiss · desi · edis

Frequency comparison

deco#41,289
deis#31,304

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deco" and "deis" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "deco" is a noun and "deis" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "deco" or "deis"?
"deis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,304 in our Spanish list, against #41,289 for "deco". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deco vs deis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “deco”; for a verb, it's “deis”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “deco” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list