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 eye mixes debo and dobló
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. debo runs 4 letters (CVCV) against dobló's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: debo vs dobló
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": ló.
"debo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "dobló" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- debo ← dbeo · ddebo · debbo · deob · devo · edbo
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "debo" and "dobló" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "debo" or "dobló"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "debo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dobló" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #155,918 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "debo" and "dobló" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dobló vs dojo". 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 #155,918 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.