Which to use
“contienen” and “continúen” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,479
- “contienen” frequency rank
- #17,650
- “continúen” frequency rank
- 23129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contienen | continúen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contener o de contenerse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de continuar. |
Where the eye mixes contienen and continúen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. contienen (CVCCVVCVC) and continúen (CVCCVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: contienen vs continúen
A purely visual mix-up. contienen ([kõn̪ˈt̪jenẽn]) and continúen ([kõn̪t̪iˈnuẽn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contienen is recorded at frequency rank #5,479, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪jenẽn]. continúen is at rank #17,650, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪iˈnuẽn].
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 23129, this pair ranks #247,247 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contienen vs continúen
Shared letters: ceinot. Private to "contienen": -. Private to "continúen": ú.
"contienen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "continúen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contienen ← ccontienen · cnotienen · conitenen · conntienen · conteinen · contieenn · contienenn · contiennen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "contienen" and "continúen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contienen" or "continúen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contienen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "continúen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #247,247 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contienen" and "continúen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "continue vs continúen". 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 #247,247 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.