Which to use
“debes” and “deis” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,504
- “debes” frequency rank
- #31,304
- “deis” frequency rank
- 32808
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debes | deis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de dar o de darse. |
Where the eye mixes debes and deis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. debes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against deis's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: debes vs deis
A purely visual mix-up. debes ([ˈd̪eβ̞es]) and deis ([ˈd̪ejs]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32808, 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]. deis is at rank #31,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪ejs].
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 32808, this pair ranks #200,090 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of debes vs deis
Shared letters: des. Private to "debes": b. Private to "deis": i.
"debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "deis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "debes" and "deis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "debes" or "deis" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "debes" and "deis" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "debes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "deis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #200,090 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debes" and "deis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deis 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 #200,090 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.