Inklingo

How to Say "to decipher" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “to decipher” is “deletrear” — use 'deletrear' when you need to spell out a word, especially when the letters are hard to understand or when you are asking someone to say the letters of a word aloud..

English → Spanish

deletrear

/deh-leh-treh-AHR//deletreˈaɾ/

verbA2
Use 'deletrear' when you need to spell out a word, especially when the letters are hard to understand or when you are asking someone to say the letters of a word aloud.
A child sitting on the floor, carefully arranging colorful wooden toy blocks in a straight line.

Examples

¿Podría deletrear su apellido, por favor?

Could you spell your last name, please?

Los niños están aprendiendo a deletrear palabras cortas en la escuela.

The children are learning to spell short words at school.

Tuve que deletrear mi correo electrónico porque era muy complicado.

I had to spell out my email because it was very complicated.

Spanish is Phonetic

Unlike English, Spanish is usually written exactly as it sounds. You will only need 'deletrear' for names, foreign words, or email addresses.

Predictable Pattern

This verb is completely regular. It follows the same pattern as 'hablar,' so once you know the basic endings, you can use it in any situation.

Spell vs. Write

Mistake: “Asking '¿Cómo escribes tu nombre?' when you want them to name the letters.”

Correction: Say '¿Cómo se deletrea?' if you want them to say A-N-A. Use 'escribir' only if you are talking about the physical act of writing.

descifrar

/des-see-FRAR//desiˈfɾaɾ/

verbB1
Use 'descifrar' when you are trying to understand a secret message, code, or something written in a difficult or ancient script.
A detective looking at a mysterious scroll with symbols and a magnifying glass.

Examples

Los arqueólogos lograron descifrar los jeroglíficos antiguos.

The archaeologists managed to decipher the ancient hieroglyphs.

Ella descifró el mensaje secreto en pocos minutos.

She decoded the secret message in a few minutes.

Nadie ha podido descifrar este código informático todavía.

No one has been able to decipher this computer code yet.

Action vs. Result

This word is an action verb that needs a target—you always descifrar 'something' like a code or a text.

Regular Pattern

Good news! This verb is perfectly regular, following the same pattern as 'hablar' or 'cantar'.

Confusing with 'Codificar'

Mistake: “Voy a descifrar la información para protegerla.”

Correction: Voy a 'cifrar' la información. Descifrar means to unlock a code, not create one.

Spelling vs. Decoding

Learners often confuse 'deletrear' and 'descifrar' by using 'deletrear' when they mean to decode a secret message. Remember, 'deletrear' is about saying the letters of a word, while 'descifrar' is about understanding a hidden meaning or code.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.