Which to use
“debamos” and “debíamos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,789
- “debamos” frequency rank
- #20,947
- “debíamos” frequency rank
- 47736
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debamos | debíamos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de deber. | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de deber. |
Where the eye mixes debamos and debíamos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. debamos runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against debíamos's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between debamos and debíamos
A purely visual mix-up. debamos ([d̪eˈβ̞amos]) and debíamos ([d̪eˈβ̞iamos]) 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 47736, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debamos is recorded at frequency rank #26,789, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞amos]. debíamos is at rank #20,947, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞iamos].
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 47736, this pair ranks #118,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of debamos vs debíamos
Shared letters: abdemos. Private to "debamos": -. Private to "debíamos": í.
"debamos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "debíamos" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- debamos ← dbeamos · ddebamos · deabmos · debammos · debamoss · debamso · debaoms · debbamos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "debamos" for "debíamos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "debamos" or "debíamos"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "debamos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "debíamos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #118,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debamos" and "debíamos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "debamos vs dudamos". 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 #118,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.