Which to use
“debes” and “desees” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,504
- “debes” frequency rank
- #19,697
- “desees” frequency rank
- 21201
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debes | desees |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de desear. |
Where the eye mixes debes and desees
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between debes and desees
A purely visual mix-up. debes ([ˈd̪eβ̞es]) and desees ([d̪eˈsees]) 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 21201, 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]. desees is at rank #19,697, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsees].
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 21201, this pair ranks #255,961 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of debes vs desees
Shared letters: des. Private to "debes": b. Private to "desees": -.
"debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "desees" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "debes" for "desees" ever safe?
Frequency check: "debes" vs "desees" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "debes" and "desees" 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 "desees" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #255,961 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debes" and "desees" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desees vs deseosa". 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 #255,961 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.