Which to use
“debes” and “dudes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,504
- “debes” frequency rank
- #10,834
- “dudes” frequency rank
- 12338
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debes | dudes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de deber. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de dudar. |
Where the eye mixes debes and dudes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses debes with dudes
A purely visual mix-up. debes ([ˈd̪eβ̞es]) and dudes ([ˈd̪uð̞es]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12338, 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]. dudes is at rank #10,834, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪uð̞es].
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 12338, this pair ranks #291,894 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of debes vs dudes
Shared letters: des. Private to "debes": b. Private to "dudes": u.
"debes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dudes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debes" and "dudes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "debes" or "dudes"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "debes" and "dudes" 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 "dudes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #291,894 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debes" and "dudes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dade vs dudes". 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 #291,894 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.