debovsdoblóWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“debo” and “dobló” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,845
“debo” frequency rank
#39,177
“dobló” frequency rank
41022
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature debo dobló
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de deber. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de doblar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set debo and dobló apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
debo
5 ch
dobló

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. debo ([ˈd̪eβ̞o]) and dobló ([d̪oˈβ̞lo]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

debo is recorded at frequency rank #1,845, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞o]. dobló is at rank #39,177, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪oˈβ̞lo].

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 41022, this pair ranks #155,918 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of debo vs dobló

Shared letters: bdo. Private to "debo": e. Private to "dobló": .

"debo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "dobló" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • debodbeo · ddebo · debbo · deob · devo · edbo

Frequency comparison

debo#1,845
dobló#39,177

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "debo" and "dobló" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪eβ̞o] versus [d̪oˈβ̞lo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "debo" or "dobló"?
"debo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,845 in our Spanish list, against #39,177 for "dobló". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering debo vs dobló

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “debo” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list