Which to use
“debíamos” and “decidamos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,947
- “debíamos” frequency rank
- #43,499
- “decidamos” frequency rank
- 64446
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debíamos | decidamos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de deber. | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de decidir o de decidirse. |
Where the eye mixes debíamos and decidamos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. debíamos runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against decidamos's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: debíamos vs decidamos
A purely visual mix-up. debíamos ([d̪eˈβ̞iamos]) and decidamos ([d̪esiˈð̞amos]) 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 64446, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debíamos is recorded at frequency rank #20,947, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞iamos]. decidamos is at rank #43,499, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esiˈð̞amos].
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 64446, this pair ranks #45,571 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of debíamos vs decidamos
Shared letters: ademos. Private to "debíamos": bí. Private to "decidamos": ci.
"debíamos" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "decidamos" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- decidamos ← dceidamos · ddecidamos · deccidamos · decdiamos · deciadmos · decidammos · decidamoss · decidamso
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debíamos" and "decidamos" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "debíamos" or "decidamos" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "debíamos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decidamos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #45,571 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debíamos" and "decidamos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decidamos vs dedicamos". 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 #45,571 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.