dichavsdictanWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#1,370
“dicha” frequency rank
#21,982
“dictan” frequency rank
23352
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dicha dictan
Definition Estado del ánimo que se complace en el disfrute de algo bueno. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de dictar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dicha and dictan apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
dicha
6 ch
dictan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dicha is [ˈd̪it͡ʃa] while dictan is [ˈd̪ikt̪ãn]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23352, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dicha is recorded at frequency rank #1,370, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪it͡ʃa]. dictan is at rank #21,982, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪ikt̪ãn].

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 23352, this pair ranks #246,193 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dicha vs dictan

Shared letters: acdi. Private to "dicha": h. Private to "dictan": nt.

"dicha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "dictan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dichadciha · ddicha · dicah · diccha · dichha · dihca · idcha
  • dictandcitan · ddictan · dicatn · dicctan · dictann · dictna · dicttan · ditcan

Frequency comparison

dicha#1,370
dictan#21,982

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dicha" and "dictan" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dicha" is a noun and "dictan" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dicha" or "dictan"?
"dicha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,370 in our Spanish list, against #21,982 for "dictan". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dicha vs dictan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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