Which to use
“debemos” and “debes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #963
- “debemos” frequency rank
- #1,504
- “debes” frequency rank
- 2467
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debemos | debes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de indicativo de deber. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. |
Where the eye mixes debemos and debes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses debemos with debes
A purely visual mix-up. debemos ([d̪eˈβ̞emos]) and debes ([ˈd̪eβ̞es]) 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 2467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debemos is recorded at frequency rank #963, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞emos]. debes is at rank #1,504, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞es].
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 2467, this pair ranks #320,262 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of debemos vs debes
Shared letters: bdes. Private to "debemos": mo. Private to "debes": -.
"debemos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "debemos" for "debes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "debemos" or "debes"?
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 "debemos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "debes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,262 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debemos" and "debes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "debes vs debías". 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 #320,262 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.