Which to use
“debates” is a noun and “débiles” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,986
- “debates” frequency rank
- #6,173
- “débiles” frequency rank
- 11159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debates | débiles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de debate. | Forma del plural de débil. |
Where the eye mixes debates and débiles
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between debates and débiles
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: debates is [d̪eˈβ̞at̪es] while débiles is [ˈd̪eβ̞iles]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debates is recorded at frequency rank #4,986, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞at̪es]. débiles is at rank #6,173, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞iles].
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 11159, this pair ranks #296,070 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of debates vs débiles
Shared letters: bdes. Private to "debates": at. Private to "débiles": ilé.
"debates" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "débiles" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- debates ← dbeates · ddebates · deabtes · debaets · debatess · debatse · debattes · debbates
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "debates" for "débiles" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "debates" or "débiles" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "debates" and "débiles" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "debates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "débiles" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #296,070 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debates" and "débiles" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "débiles vs dóciles". 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 #296,070 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.