descentralizadovsdescentralizadosWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#27,949
“descentralizado” frequency rank
#45,867
“descentralizados” frequency rank
73816
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature descentralizado descentralizados
Definition Participio de descentralizar. Forma del plural de descentralizado, participio de descentralizar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set descentralizado and descentralizados apart are highlighted. They share 15 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

15 ch
descentralizado
16 ch
descentralizados

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: descentralizado is [d̪esẽn̪t̪ɾaliˈsað̞o] while descentralizados is [d̪esẽn̪t̪ɾaliˈsað̞os]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “descentralizado” sits inside “descentralizados”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73816, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

descentralizado is recorded at frequency rank #27,949, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esẽn̪t̪ɾaliˈsað̞o]. descentralizados is at rank #45,867, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪esẽn̪t̪ɾaliˈsað̞os].

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 73816, this pair ranks #22,548 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of descentralizado vs descentralizados

Shared letters: acdeilnorstz. Private to "descentralizado": -. Private to "descentralizados": -.

"descentralizado" · 15 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCVCVCV  ·  "descentralizados" · 16 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • descentralizadoddescentralizado · decsentralizado · desccentralizado · descenntralizado · descenrtalizado · descentarlizado · descentrailzado · descentraliazdo
  • descentralizadosddescentralizados · decsentralizados · desccentralizados · descenntralizados · descenrtalizados · descentarlizados · descentrailzados · descentraliazdos

Frequency comparison

descentralizado#27,949
descentralizados#45,867

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "descentralizado" and "descentralizados" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "descentralizado" is a verb and "descentralizados" a participle, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "descentralizado" or "descentralizados"?
"descentralizado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,949 in our Spanish list, against #45,867 for "descentralizados". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering descentralizado vs descentralizados

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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