Which to use
“debían” and “decías” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,091
- “debían” frequency rank
- #15,066
- “decías” frequency rank
- 20157
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debían | decías |
|---|---|---|
| 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 decir. |
Where the eye mixes debían and decías
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: debían vs decías
A purely visual mix-up. debían ([d̪eˈβ̞iãn]) and decías ([d̪eˈsias]) 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 20157, 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]. decías is at rank #15,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsias].
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 20157, this pair ranks #260,546 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of debían vs decías
Shared letters: adeí. Private to "debían": bn. Private to "decías": cs.
"debían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "decías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "debían" for "decías" ever safe?
Frequency check: "debían" vs "decías" - which ranks higher?
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 "debían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "decías" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #260,546 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debían" and "decías" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "decae vs decías". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #260,546 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.