debasvsdecaeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#29,580
“debas” frequency rank
#48,929
“decae” frequency rank
78509
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature debas decae
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) 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 eye mixes debas and decae

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. debas (CVCVC) and decae (CVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
debas
5 ch
decae

Visual trap between debas and decae

A purely visual mix-up. debas ([ˈd̪eβ̞as]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78509, 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]. 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 78509, this pair ranks #14,349 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of debas vs decae

Shared letters: ade. Private to "debas": bs. Private to "decae": c.

"debas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "decae" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debas ← dbeas · ddebas · deabs · debass · debbas · debsa · devas · edbas
  • decae ← dceae · ddecae · deace · deccae · edcae

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debas" and "decae" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪eβ̞as] versus [d̪eˈkae]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "debas" or "decae"?
"debas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,580 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.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "debas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "decae" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #14,349 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "debas" and "decae" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decae 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 #14,349 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list