debavsdecaeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,944
“deba” frequency rank
#48,929
“decae” frequency rank
54873
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deba decae
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de deber. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de decaer.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
deba
5 ch
decae

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. deba ([ˈd̪eβ̞a]) and decae ([d̪eˈkae]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deba is recorded at frequency rank #5,944, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞a]. decae is at rank #48,929, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈkae].

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 54873, this pair ranks #81,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of deba vs decae

Shared letters: ade. Private to "deba": b. Private to "decae": c.

"deba" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "decae" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debadbea · ddeba · deab · debba · edba
  • decaedceae · ddecae · deace · deccae · edcae

Frequency comparison

deba#5,944
decae#48,929

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deba" and "decae" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪eβ̞a] versus [d̪eˈkae]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "deba" or "decae"?
"deba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,944 in our Spanish list, against #48,929 for "decae". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deba vs decae

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 “deba” 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