Which to use
“débiles” is an adjective and “debimos” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,173
- “débiles” frequency rank
- #37,013
- “debimos” frequency rank
- 43186
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débiles | debimos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de débil. | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de deber. |
Where the eye mixes débiles and debimos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between débiles and debimos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: débiles is [ˈd̪eβ̞iles] while debimos is [d̪eˈβ̞imos]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
débiles is recorded at frequency rank #6,173, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞iles]. debimos is at rank #37,013, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞imos].
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 43186, this pair ranks #144,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of débiles vs debimos
Shared letters: bdeis. Private to "débiles": lé. Private to "debimos": mo.
"débiles" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "debimos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- debimos ← dbeimos · ddebimos · debbimos · debimmos · debimoss · debimso · debioms · debmios
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "débiles" for "debimos" ever safe?
Frequency check: "débiles" vs "debimos" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "débiles" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "debimos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #144,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débiles" and "debimos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "debías vs debimos". 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 #144,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.