decretavsdescritaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: decreta is a verb, descrita is a participle, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“decreta” is a verb and “descrita” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,161
“decreta” frequency rank
#14,117
“descrita” frequency rank
46278
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decreta descrita
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decretar o de decretarse. Forma del femenino de descrito, participio irregular de describir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decreta and descrita apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
decreta
8 ch
descrita

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: decreta is [d̪eˈkɾet̪a] while descrita is [d̪esˈkɾit̪a]. 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 (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decreta is recorded at frequency rank #32,161, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈkɾet̪a]. descrita is at rank #14,117, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪esˈkɾit̪a].

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 46278, this pair ranks #126,658 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of decreta vs descrita

Shared letters: acdert. Private to "decreta": -. Private to "descrita": is.

"decreta" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "descrita" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decretadcereta · ddecreta · deccreta · decerta · decreat · decretta · decrreta · decrtea
  • descritaddescrita · decsrita · desccrita · descirta · descriat · descritta · descrrita · descrtia

Frequency comparison

decreta#32,161
descrita#14,117

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decreta" and "descrita" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "decreta" is a verb and "descrita" a participle, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "decreta" or "descrita"?
"descrita" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,117 in our Spanish list, against #32,161 for "decreta". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering decreta vs descrita

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “decreta”; for a participle, it's “descrita”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decreta” 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