Which to use
“dabas” and “debes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,042
- “dabas” frequency rank
- #1,504
- “debes” frequency rank
- 35546
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dabas | debes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de dar. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. |
Where the eye mixes dabas and debes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: dabas vs debes
A purely visual mix-up. dabas ([ˈd̪aβ̞as]) and debes ([ˈd̪eβ̞es]) 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 35546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dabas is recorded at frequency rank #34,042, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪aβ̞as]. debes is at rank #1,504, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞es].
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 35546, this pair ranks #185,494 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dabas vs debes
Shared letters: bds. Private to "dabas": a. Private to "debes": e.
"dabas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dabas" for "debes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dabas" vs "debes" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "dabas" and "debes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "dabas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "debes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #185,494 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dabas" and "debes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dabas vs dimas". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #185,494 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.