debersevsdebesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,458
“deberse” frequency rank
#1,504
“debes” frequency rank
25962
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deberse debes
Definition Ser la consecuencia de. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
deberse
5 ch
debes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. deberse ([d̪eˈβ̞eɾse]) 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 25962, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deberse is recorded at frequency rank #24,458, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞eɾse]. 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 25962, this pair ranks #233,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deberse vs debes

Shared letters: bdes. Private to "deberse": r. Private to "debes": -.

"deberse" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debersedbeerse · ddeberse · debberse · deberce · deberes · deberrse · debersse · debesre
  • debesdbees · ddebes · debbes · debess · debse · deebs · deves · edbes

Frequency comparison

deberse#24,458
debes#1,504

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deberse" and "debes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈβ̞eɾse] versus [ˈd̪eβ̞es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "deberse" or "debes"?
"debes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,504 in our Spanish list, against #24,458 for "deberse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering deberse vs debes

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 “deberse” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list