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decena

deh-SEH-nah/deˈsena/

“decena” means “ten” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

ten

Also: dozen
NounfA2
A row of ten identical red apples sitting on a wooden table.

📝 In Action

Compré una decena de huevos para el pastel.

A1

I bought ten eggs for the cake.

Había decenas de personas esperando en la puerta.

A2

There were dozens of people waiting at the door.

El collar tiene una decena de perlas blancas.

B1

The necklace has a set of ten white pearls.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • una decena de – a set of ten
  • por decenas – by the dozen / in groups of ten
  • decenas de miles – tens of thousands

tens place

Also: tens column
NounfB1
A bundle of ten wooden sticks tied together with a piece of twine.

📝 In Action

En el número 42, el cuatro representa la decena.

B1

In the number 42, the four represents the tens place.

Suma primero las unidades y después las decenas.

B1

Add the ones first and then the tens.

Word Connections

Antonyms

  • unidad (ones place)
  • centena (hundreds place)

Common Collocations

  • columna de las decenas – tens column

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "decena" in Spanish:

dozen→ten→tens column→tens place→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: decena

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence correctly uses 'decena' to count eggs?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
diez(ten) — Noun
décimo(tenth) — Adjective
decenio(decade (10 years)) — Noun
docena(dozen) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'decena', which is built from 'decem', the word for 'ten'. It shares the same family tree as the English word 'decimal'.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: dizaineItalian: decina

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'decena' exactly the same as 'diez'?

Not quite. 'Diez' is the number itself (10), while 'decena' is a noun meaning 'a group of ten'. It's the difference between saying 'I have 10' and 'I have a set of 10'.

Can 'decena' mean 'dozen'?

Literally, no. 'Dozen' is 12 (docena). However, in the plural ('decenas'), it is often translated as 'dozens' in English to mean 'a large number of things'.

Is it a masculine or feminine word?

It is always feminine (la decena), regardless of what kind of items you are counting.