Which to use
“bebí” is a verb and “bei” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,362
- “bebí” frequency rank
- #35,376
- “bei” frequency rank
- 81738
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bebí | bei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de beber o de beberse. | Cerca de, junto a. |
Where the eye mixes bebí and bei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. bebí runs 4 letters (CVCV) against bei's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between bebí and bei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bebí is [beˈβ̞i] while bei is [baɪ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81738, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bebí is recorded at frequency rank #46,362, classified as averb, pronounced [beˈβ̞i]. bei is at rank #35,376, tagged as aprep, pronounced [baɪ].
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 81738, this pair ranks #10,045 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bebí vs bei
Shared letters: be. Private to "bebí": í. Private to "bei": i.
"bebí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "bei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bebí" for "bei" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "bebí" or "bei" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bebí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #10,045 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bebí" and "bei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bebí vs ber". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #10,045 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.