Which to use
“debimos” and “demos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,013
- “debimos” frequency rank
- #9,275
- “demos” frequency rank
- 46288
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | debimos | demos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de deber. | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de dar o de darse. |
Where the eye mixes debimos and demos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. debimos runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against demos's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between debimos and demos
A purely visual mix-up. debimos ([d̪eˈβ̞imos]) and demos ([ˈd̪emos]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46288, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
debimos is recorded at frequency rank #37,013, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈβ̞imos]. demos is at rank #9,275, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪emos].
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 46288, this pair ranks #126,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of debimos vs demos
Shared letters: demos. Private to "debimos": bi. Private to "demos": -.
"debimos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "demos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debimos" and "demos" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "debimos" or "demos"?
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 "debimos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "demos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #126,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debimos" and "demos" 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 #126,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.