debesvsdejéisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,504
“debes” frequency rank
#27,179
“dejéis” frequency rank
28683
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature debes dejéis
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de dejar o de dejarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set debes and dejéis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
debes
6 ch
dejéis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. debes ([ˈd̪eβ̞es]) and dejéis ([d̪eˈxejs]) 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 28683, 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]. dejéis is at rank #27,179, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈxejs].

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 28683, this pair ranks #220,808 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of debes vs dejéis

Shared letters: des. Private to "debes": b. Private to "dejéis": ijé.

"debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dejéis" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debesdbees · ddebes · debbes · debess · debse · deebs · deves · edbes

Frequency comparison

debes#1,504
dejéis#27,179

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debes" and "dejéis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪eβ̞es] versus [d̪eˈxejs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "debes" or "dejéis"?
"debes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,504 in our Spanish list, against #27,179 for "dejéis". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering debes vs dejéis

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 “debes” 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