Which to use
“debían” and “debías” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,091
- “debían” frequency rank
- #44,095
- “debías” frequency rank
- 49186
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debían | debías |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de deber. | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de deber. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set debían and debías apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
debían and debías form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - n in “debían” becomes s in “debías” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debían is recorded at frequency rank #5,091, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞iãn]. debías is at rank #44,095, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞ias].
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 49186, this pair ranks #110,242 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debían" and "debías" be used interchangeably?
Remembering debían vs debías
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 “debían” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable