decretovsdecretosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“decreto” and “decretos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,721
“decreto” frequency rank
#12,575
“decretos” frequency rank
14296
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decreto decretos
Definition Disposición o decisión tomada por una autoridad sobre la materia en que tenga competencia. Jerárquicamente suele ser inferior a las leyes. Forma del plural de decreto.

Where the eye mixes decreto and decretos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. decreto runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against decretos's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
decreto
8 ch
decretos

Visual trap between decreto and decretos

A purely visual mix-up. decreto ([d̪eˈkɾet̪o]) and decretos ([d̪eˈkɾet̪os]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “decreto” sits inside “decretos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14296, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decreto is recorded at frequency rank #1,721, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈkɾet̪o]. decretos is at rank #12,575, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈkɾet̪os].

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 14296, this pair ranks #284,657 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decreto vs decretos

Shared letters: cdeort. Private to "decreto": -. Private to "decretos": s.

"decreto" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "decretos" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decreto ← dcereto · ddecreto · deccreto · decerto · decreot · decretto · decrreto · decrteo
  • decretos ← dceretos · ddecretos · deccretos · decertos · decreots · decretoss · decretso · decrettos

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decreto" and "decretos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈkɾet̪o] versus [d̪eˈkɾet̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "decreto" vs "decretos" - which ranks higher?
"decreto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,721 in our Spanish list, against #12,575 for "decretos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "decreto" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decretos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #284,657 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "decreto" and "decretos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decretar vs decretos". 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 #284,657 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