debíasvsdeisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,095
“debías” frequency rank
#31,304
“deis” frequency rank
75399
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature debías deis
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de deber. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de dar o de darse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set debías and deis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
debías
4 ch
deis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. debías ([d̪eˈβ̞ias]) and deis ([ˈd̪ejs]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75399, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

debías is recorded at frequency rank #44,095, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞ias]. deis is at rank #31,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪ejs].

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 75399, this pair ranks #19,619 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of debías vs deis

Shared letters: des. Private to "debías": abí. Private to "deis": i.

"debías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "deis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deisddeis · deiss · desi · edis

Frequency comparison

debías#44,095
deis#31,304

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debías" and "deis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈβ̞ias] versus [ˈd̪ejs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "debías" or "deis"?
"deis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,304 in our Spanish list, against #44,095 for "debías". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering debías vs deis

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 “debías” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list