bebívsbeséWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,362
“bebí” frequency rank
#41,760
“besé” frequency rank
88122
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bebí besé
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de beber o de beberse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de besar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bebí and besé apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
bebí
4 ch
besé

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bebí ([beˈβ̞i]) and besé ([beˈse]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88122, 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]. besé is at rank #41,760, tagged as averb, pronounced [beˈse].

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 88122, this pair ranks #3,977 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bebí vs besé

Shared letters: be. Private to "bebí": í. Private to "besé": .

"bebí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "besé" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Frequency comparison

bebí#46,362
besé#41,760

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bebí" and "besé" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([beˈβ̞i] versus [beˈse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bebí" or "besé"?
"besé" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,760 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 bebí vs besé

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 “bebí” 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