debanvsdebatenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,332
“deban” frequency rank
#30,014
“debaten” frequency rank
44346
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deban debaten
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de deber. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de debatir o de debatirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deban and debaten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
deban
7 ch
debaten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. deban ([ˈd̪eβ̞ãn]) and debaten ([d̪eˈβ̞at̪ẽn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deban is recorded at frequency rank #14,332, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞ãn]. debaten is at rank #30,014, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞at̪ẽn].

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 44346, this pair ranks #137,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deban vs debaten

Shared letters: abden. Private to "deban": -. Private to "debaten": t.

"deban" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "debaten" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debandbean · ddeban · deabn · debann · debban · debna · devan · edban
  • debatendbeaten · ddebaten · deabten · debaetn · debatenn · debatne · debatten · debbaten

Frequency comparison

deban#14,332
debaten#30,014

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deban" and "debaten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪eβ̞ãn] versus [d̪eˈβ̞at̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "deban" or "debaten"?
"deban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,332 in our Spanish list, against #30,014 for "debaten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deban vs debaten

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 “deban” 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