Which to use
“debido” is a verb and “débito” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #479
- “debido” frequency rank
- #19,707
- “débito” frequency rank
- 20186
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debido | débito |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participio de deber. | Obligación de pagar o devolver algo, generalmente dinero, que se había recibido antes. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set debido and débito apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
debido and débito form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debido is recorded at frequency rank #479, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞ið̞o]. débito is at rank #19,707, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞it̪o].
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 20186, this pair ranks #260,418 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debido" and "débito" be used interchangeably?
Remembering debido vs débito
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “debido”; for a noun, it's “débito”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “debido” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable