debanvsdivánWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: deban is a verb, diván is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“deban” is a verb and “diván” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,332
“deban” frequency rank
#46,502
“diván” frequency rank
60834
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deban diván
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de deber. Mueble similar a una cama o sofá ancho, típicamente sin respaldo ni apoyabrazos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
deban
5 ch
diván

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deban is [ˈd̪eβ̞ãn] while diván is [d̪iˈβ̞ãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60834, 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]. diván is at rank #46,502, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪iˈβ̞ãn].

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 60834, this pair ranks #57,540 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of deban vs diván

Shared letters: dn. Private to "deban": abe. Private to "diván": ivá.

"deban" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "diván" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debandbean · ddeban · deabn · debann · debban · debna · devan · edban

Frequency comparison

deban#14,332
diván#46,502

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deban" and "diván" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "deban" is a verb and "diván" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "deban" or "diván"?
"deban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,332 in our Spanish list, against #46,502 for "diván". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deban vs diván

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “deban”; for a noun, it's “diván”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list