debéisvsdeberáConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#25,210
“debéis” frequency rank
#2,821
“deberá” frequency rank
28031
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature debéis deberá
Definition Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de indicativo de deber. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del futuro de indicativo de deber.

Where the eye mixes debéis and deberá

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

6 ch
debéis
6 ch
deberá

Why the eye confuses debéis with deberá

A purely visual mix-up. debéis ([d̪eˈβ̞ejs]) and deberá ([d̪eβ̞eˈɾa]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

debéis is recorded at frequency rank #25,210, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞ejs]. deberá is at rank #2,821, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eβ̞eˈɾa].

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 28031, this pair ranks #223,983 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of debéis vs deberá

Shared letters: bde. Private to "debéis": isé. Private to "deberá": rá.

"debéis" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "deberá" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debéis" and "deberá" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈβ̞ejs] versus [d̪eβ̞eˈɾa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "debéis" or "deberá"?
"deberá" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,821 in our Spanish list, against #25,210 for "debéis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "debéis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "deberá" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #223,983 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "debéis" and "deberá" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "debéis vs debías". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #223,983 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