Which to use
“débil” is an adjective and “del” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,397
- “débil” frequency rank
- #14
- “del” frequency rank
- 3411
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débil | del |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De poca fortaleza, que carece de fuerza física. | Contracción de la preposición de y el artículo el. |
Where the eye mixes débil and del
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: débil vs del
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: débil is [ˈd̪eβ̞il] while del is [d̪el]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3411, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
débil is recorded at frequency rank #3,397, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞il]. del is at rank #14, tagged as acontraction, pronounced [d̪el].
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 3411, this pair ranks #318,365 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of débil vs del
Shared letters: dl. Private to "débil": bié. Private to "del": e.
"débil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "del" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "débil" and "del" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "débil" vs "del" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "débil" and "del" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "débil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "del" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,365 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débil" and "del" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "débil vs deli". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #318,365 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.