Which to use
“decepción” and “detención” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,539
- “decepción” frequency rank
- #5,095
- “detención” frequency rank
- 12634
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | decepción | detención |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dolor provocado por un desengaño. | Acción o efecto de detener o de detenerse. |
Where the eye mixes decepción and detención
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. decepción and detención follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: decepción vs detención
A purely visual mix-up. decepción ([d̪esepˈsjõn]) and detención ([d̪et̪ẽnˈsjõn]) 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 12634, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
decepción is recorded at frequency rank #7,539, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪esepˈsjõn]. detención is at rank #5,095, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪et̪ẽnˈsjõn].
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 12634, this pair ranks #290,828 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of decepción vs detención
Shared letters: cdeinó. Private to "decepción": p. Private to "detención": t.
"decepción" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "detención" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "decepción" and "detención" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "decepción" or "detención"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "decepción" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detención" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #290,828 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "decepción" and "detención" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detención vs detonación". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #290,828 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.