debatenvsdebenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,014
“debaten” frequency rank
#510
“deben” frequency rank
30524
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
debaten
5 ch
deben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. debaten ([d̪eˈβ̞at̪ẽn]) and deben ([ˈd̪eβ̞ẽn]) 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 30524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

debaten is recorded at frequency rank #30,014, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞at̪ẽn]. deben is at rank #510, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞ẽn].

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 30524, this pair ranks #211,570 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of debaten vs deben

Shared letters: bden. Private to "debaten": at. Private to "deben": -.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debatendbeaten · ddebaten · deabten · debaetn · debatenn · debatne · debatten · debbaten
  • debendbeen · ddeben · debben · debenn · debne · deebn · deven · edben

Frequency comparison

debaten#30,014
deben#510

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debaten" and "deben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈβ̞at̪ẽn] versus [ˈd̪eβ̞ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "debaten" or "deben"?
"deben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #510 in our Spanish list, against #30,014 for "debaten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering debaten vs deben

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 “debaten” 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