Which to use
“debes” is a verb and “débiles” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,504
- “debes” frequency rank
- #6,173
- “débiles” frequency rank
- 7677
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debes | débiles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. | Forma del plural de débil. |
Where the eye mixes debes and débiles
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. debes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against débiles's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between debes and débiles
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: debes is [ˈd̪eβ̞es] while débiles is [ˈd̪eβ̞iles]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debes is recorded at frequency rank #1,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞es]. 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 7677, this pair ranks #307,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of debes vs débiles
Shared letters: bdes. Private to "debes": -. Private to "débiles": ilé.
"debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "débiles" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- debes ← dbees · ddebes · debbes · debess · debse · deebs · deves · edbes
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "debes" and "débiles" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "debes" or "débiles"?
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 "debes" 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 #307,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debes" 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 #307,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.