Which to use
“debidas” is a participle and “decías” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,315
- “debidas” frequency rank
- #15,066
- “decías” frequency rank
- 37381
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debidas | decías |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino plural de debido, participio de deber. | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de decir. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set debidas and decías apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: debidas is [d̪eˈβ̞ið̞as] while decías is [d̪eˈsias]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (participle vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debidas is recorded at frequency rank #22,315, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞ið̞as]. 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 37381, this pair ranks #175,604 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of debidas vs decías
Shared letters: ades. Private to "debidas": bi. Private to "decías": cí.
"debidas" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "decías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- debidas ← dbeidas · ddebidas · debbidas · debdias · debiads · debidass · debiddas · debidsa
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debidas" and "decías" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "debidas" or "decías"?
Remembering debidas vs decías
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “debidas”; for a verb, it's “decías”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “debidas” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable