debívsdoiConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#14,811
“debí” frequency rank
#39,709
“doi” frequency rank
54520
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature debí doi
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de deber. Primera persona del singular del presente de indicativo de dar.

Where the eye mixes debí and doi

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. debí runs 4 letters (CVCV) against doi's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
debí
3 ch
doi

Look-alike desk: debí vs doi

A purely visual mix-up. debí ([d̪eˈβ̞i]) and doi ([ˈdoj]) 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 54520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

debí is recorded at frequency rank #14,811, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞i]. doi is at rank #39,709, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdoj].

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 54520, this pair ranks #82,971 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of debí vs doi

Shared letters: d. Private to "debí": beí. Private to "doi": io.

"debí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "doi" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debí" and "doi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈβ̞i] versus [ˈdoj]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "debí" vs "doi" - which ranks higher?
"debí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,811 in our Spanish list, against #39,709 for "doi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "debí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "doi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #82,971 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "debí" and "doi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "doi vs dont". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #82,971 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list