Which to use
“debas” and “debían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,580
- “debas” frequency rank
- #5,091
- “debían” frequency rank
- 34671
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debas | debían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de deber. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de deber. |
Where the eye mixes debas and debían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. debas runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against debían's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: debas vs debían
A purely visual mix-up. debas ([ˈd̪eβ̞as]) and debían ([d̪eˈβ̞iãn]) 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 34671, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debas is recorded at frequency rank #29,580, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞as]. debían is at rank #5,091, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞iãn].
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 34671, this pair ranks #190,213 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of debas vs debían
Shared letters: abde. Private to "debas": s. Private to "debían": ní.
"debas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "debían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- debas ← dbeas · ddebas · deabs · debass · debbas · debsa · devas · edbas
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debas" and "debían" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "debas" vs "debían" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "debas" and "debían" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "debas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "debían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #190,213 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debas" and "debían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "debas vs Deva". 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 #190,213 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.