bebavsbebíWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“beba” and “bebí” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,276
“beba” frequency rank
#46,362
“bebí” frequency rank
62638
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature beba bebí
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de beber o de beberse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de beber o de beberse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set beba and bebí apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
beba
4 ch
bebí

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. beba ([ˈbeβ̞a]) and bebí ([beˈβ̞i]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “beba” becomes í in “bebí”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

beba is recorded at frequency rank #16,276, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbeβ̞a]. bebí is at rank #46,362, tagged as averb, pronounced [beˈβ̞i].

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 62638, this pair ranks #51,340 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of beba vs bebí

Shared letters: be. Private to "beba": a. Private to "bebí": í.

"beba" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "bebí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bebabbea · bbeba · beab · bebba · ebba · veva

Frequency comparison

beba#16,276
bebí#46,362

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "beba" and "bebí" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbeβ̞a] versus [beˈβ̞i]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "beba" or "bebí"?
"beba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,276 in our Spanish list, against #46,362 for "bebí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering beba vs bebí

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “beba” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list