bebívsboboWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bebí is a verb, bobo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bebí” is a verb and “bobo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#46,362
“bebí” frequency rank
#12,098
“bobo” frequency rank
58460
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bebí bobo
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de beber o de beberse. Corto de inteligencia y entendimiento.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
bebí
4 ch
bobo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bebí is [beˈβ̞i] while bobo is [ˈboβ̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58460, 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]. bobo is at rank #12,098, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈboβ̞o].

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 58460, this pair ranks #66,365 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bebí vs bobo

Shared letters: b. Private to "bebí": . Private to "bobo": o.

"bebí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "bobo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bobobbobo · bboo · bobbo · boob · obbo · vovo

Frequency comparison

bebí#46,362
bobo#12,098

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bebí" and "bobo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bebí" is a verb and "bobo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bebí" or "bobo"?
"bobo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,098 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 bobo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bebí”; for an adjective, it's “bobo”.
  • 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