# How common is the “deci” prefix in the metric system? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2021, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706 "2021-01-17T01:57:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/21 "2021-01-19T13:55:33Z")
Nah, that is too easy! And it is absurd when US-Americans use a different spelling than the rest of the world for a system that they themselves do not use. Sorry, completely unacceptable. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/22 "2021-01-19T13:57:30Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > But [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decagram) agrees. And [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix) is a list of all prefixes, and it lists deca and not deka. I use Merriam-Webster myself, but I doubt it is accurate in this case. How would such a doubt be settled in your view? There is no doubt. As @hogarth just pointed out, deka- is valid in at least one major form of written English, and I don’t know about Slovakia, but in Norway it is the only valid spelling. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/23 "2021-01-19T14:01:06Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Nah, that is too easy! And it is absurd when US-Americans use a different spelling than the rest of the world for a system that they themselves do not use. Sorry, completely unacceptable. It’s not “the rest of the world” just because it is in English. Go to the [Wikpedia page for deca-](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deca-) and look at the links going to other language versions. There’s a lot of "deka-"s in those that use latin characters. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/24 "2021-01-19T14:06:10Z")
OK, I surrender and unilaterally drop the highjack. Still weird, the International System should be the same in all language versions, that is why it was created. At least the abbreviations seem to be identical, that is something. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/25 "2021-01-19T14:56:23Z")
It was created so there wouldn’t be confusion, so as long as it’s standardized in each language and no one decides that in their language deci- should mean 1/100ths, there is no issue. Since not all languages use the same alphabet the French version can’t apply universally anyway, but I find nothing in the standard mentioning this, even though the , vs . as decimal separator is mentioned several times. The main Norwegian dictionary entry for the SI specifies that spellings are adapted to local languages, but I’ve given up finding out where that is actually written down as an official decision. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/26 "2021-01-19T15:00:17Z")
> [@naita](#): > > I find nothing in the standard mentioning this, even though the , vs . as decimal separator is mentioned several times. That is good to know, another detail so many countries get wrong. I’m starting to think this highjack deserves a Pit entry on its own. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/27 "2021-01-19T15:23:19Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > That is good to know, another detail so many countries get wrong. I’m starting to think this highjack deserves a Pit entry on its own. Oh, you won’t enjoy this then. SI is fine with either. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/28 "2021-01-19T15:26:19Z")
I wonder what I have done to them. I’m not enjoying nothing much today, I must admit. I always get bad tempered when my feet hurt, maybe it’s that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/29 "2021-01-19T16:45:09Z")
Milli- is another one that commonly changes by language. Is it one L or two? In many languages, it’s just one. In English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, it’s two. In Spanish, Polish (and I’m guessing the rest of the Slavic languages that use Latin script) Romanian, Lithuanian, etc, it’s one. And then there’s the unit itself, like meter. All over the place. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/30 "2021-01-19T18:43:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Milli- is another one that commonly changes by language. Is it one L or two? In many languages, it’s just one. In English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, it’s two. In Spanish, Polish (and I’m guessing the rest of the Slavic languages that use Latin script) Romanian, Lithuanian, etc, it’s one. How about _micro-_? Without even checking, I bet several languages spell it _mikro-_. > [@](#): > > And then there’s the unit itself, like meter. All over the place. And liter/litre… ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/31 "2021-01-19T21:22:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > And then there’s the unit itself, like meter. All over the place. Do the Danes and Norwegians really call a “meter” a _måler_? And check out the Lithuanian entry – _skaitiklis_ (!). > **[Meter in Different Languages. Translate, Listen, and Learn](https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/meter)** > > Explore our list for saying meter in different languages. Learn 100+ ways to say meter in other languages, expand your skills and connect across cultures. … Back to the OP … the decimeter (1/10 meter) could be used for a metric “hand”. As in [“hand”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_(unit)#:~:text=The%20hand%20is%20a%20non,breadth%20of%20a%20human%20hand.), the unit for measuring the heights of horses (1 hand = 4 inches). The decimeter would be roughly 1/16" shorter at 3.937 inches. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/32 "2021-01-20T14:36:47Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Do the Danes and Norwegians really call a “meter” a _måler_ ? And check out the Lithuanian entry – _skaitiklis_ (!). No. That’s a “meter” in the “gas meter”, “multimeter” sense (although funnily enough "multimeter"s are called "multimeter"s). The measuring unit is a “meter”. An etymologically founded translation of “måler” would be “measurer”, and it’s also used in words such as “landmåler” - land-measurer (i.e. surveyor). ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/33 "2021-01-20T14:50:55Z")
In my personal experience, in South Africa (which metricated 50 years ago) the only prefixes in use here are the multiples of 1000 - i.e. micro/milli/kilo/mega - with the notable exception of the centimetre which is used about as commonly as the millimetre. But we don’t, for example, use centilitres or deci-anything. We do sometimes use hectares for land area. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/34 "2021-01-20T15:14:42Z")
> [@naita](#): > > > [@bordelond](#): > > > > Do the Danes and Norwegians really call a “meter” a _måler_ ? And check out the Lithuanian entry – _skaitiklis_ (!). > > No. That’s a “meter” in the “gas meter”, “multimeter” sense (although funnily enough "multimeter"s are called "multimeter"s). The measuring unit is a “meter”. Thanks for the correction – that happens to also be the case with the Lithuanian entry. I should have cross-checked with the Norwegian and Lithuanian Wikipedia entries for the SI unit. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/35 "2021-01-20T19:00:22Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > decimeters, decigrams, just nope. The decimeter (Dezimeter) is totally a thing in German. [https://de.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dezimeter](https://de.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dezimeter) ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/36 "2021-02-06T19:11:10Z")
Well, in the different European Countries the prefixes are normally used in the local language, not in English, and in German at least we talk of Hektoliter, Hextare and Dekagramm spelled with a k. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/37 "2021-02-06T19:59:58Z")
Decigrams are absolutely a thing in Hungary. They’re commonly used to list quantities of ingredients in recipes. Ditto for decilitres. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/38 "2021-02-06T21:28:02Z")
Don’t you mean dekagrams? I don’t recall seeing decigrams in Hungary – that’s an awfully small unit (1/10 of a gram.) Dekagrams are common (or just “deka” in conversatoin as in _Húsz deka sajtot, kérek_ “I’d like twenty deka(grams) of cheese.” ) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706/39 "2021-02-06T22:46:08Z")
You’re right; I’d mixed up the two prefixes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-deci-prefix-in-the-metric-system/930706.md?page=1)