Which to use
“débil” is an adjective and “devil” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,397
- “débil” frequency rank
- #36,529
- “devil” frequency rank
- 39926
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débil | devil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De poca fortaleza, que carece de fuerza física. | Diablo, demonio. |
Where the eye mixes débil and devil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses débil with devil
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: débil is [ˈd̪eβ̞il] while devil is /ˈdɛv.əl/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39926, 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]. devil is at rank #36,529, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɛv.əl/.
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 39926, this pair ranks #161,888 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of débil vs devil
Shared letters: dil. Private to "débil": bé. Private to "devil": ev.
"débil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "devil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- devil ← ddevil · debil · deivl · devill · devli · devvil · dveil · edvil
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "débil" and "devil" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "débil" or "devil"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "débil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,888 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débil" and "devil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Deva vs devil". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #161,888 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.