Which to use
“defiende” and “detiene” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,151
- “defiende” frequency rank
- #6,898
- “detiene” frequency rank
- 11049
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defiende | detiene |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de defender o de defenderse. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detener. |
Where the eye mixes defiende and detiene
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. defiende runs 8 letters (CVCVVCCV) against detiene's 7 (CVCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between defiende and detiene
A purely visual mix-up. defiende ([d̪eˈfjẽn̪d̪e]) and detiene ([d̪eˈt̪jene]) 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 11049, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defiende is recorded at frequency rank #4,151, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈfjẽn̪d̪e]. detiene is at rank #6,898, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪jene].
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 11049, this pair ranks #296,445 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of defiende vs detiene
Shared letters: dein. Private to "defiende": f. Private to "detiene": t.
"defiende" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV · "detiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "defiende" and "detiene" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "defiende" or "detiene"?
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 "defiende" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detiene" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #296,445 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defiende" and "detiene" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detente vs detiene". 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 #296,445 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.