Which to use
“deber” and “dejar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,112
- “deber” frequency rank
- #392
- “dejar” frequency rank
- 3504
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deber | dejar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (seguido del infinitivo) Estar o verse obligado de hacer algo. | Depositar o colocar una cosa en su sitio. |
Where the eye mixes deber and dejar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: deber vs dejar
A purely visual mix-up. deber ([d̪eˈβ̞eɾ]) and dejar ([d̪eˈxaɾ]) 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 3504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
deber is recorded at frequency rank #3,112, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞eɾ]. dejar is at rank #392, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈxaɾ].
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 3504, this pair ranks #318,166 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of deber vs dejar
Shared letters: der. Private to "deber": b. Private to "dejar": aj.
"deber" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dejar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "deber" and "dejar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "deber" or "dejar"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "deber" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dejar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,166 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "deber" and "dejar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dejar 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 #318,166 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.