dichasvsdictanWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,237
“dichas” frequency rank
#21,982
“dictan” frequency rank
26219
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dichas dictan
Definition Forma del femenino plural de dicho. 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 dichas and dictan apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
dichas
6 ch
dictan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dichas is [ˈd̪it͡ʃas] while dictan is [ˈd̪ikt̪ãn]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26219, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dichas is recorded at frequency rank #4,237, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈd̪it͡ʃas]. 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 26219, this pair ranks #232,720 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dichas vs dictan

Shared letters: acdi. Private to "dichas": hs. Private to "dictan": nt.

"dichas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "dictan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dichasdcihas · ddichas · dicahs · dicchas · dichass · dichhas · dichsa · dihcas
  • dictandcitan · ddictan · dicatn · dicctan · dictann · dictna · dicttan · ditcan

Frequency comparison

dichas#4,237
dictan#21,982

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dichas" and "dictan" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dichas" is an adjective and "dictan" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dichas" or "dictan"?
"dichas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,237 in our Spanish list, against #21,982 for "dictan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dichas vs dictan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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