detectavsdetengaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#16,816
“detecta” frequency rank
#15,589
“detenga” frequency rank
32405
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature detecta detenga
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detectar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de detener o de detenerse.

Where the eye mixes detecta and detenga

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
detecta
7 ch
detenga

Visual trap between detecta and detenga

A purely visual mix-up. detecta ([d̪eˈt̪ekt̪a]) and detenga ([d̪eˈt̪ẽŋga]) 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 32405, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

detecta is recorded at frequency rank #16,816, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ekt̪a]. detenga is at rank #15,589, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ẽŋga].

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 32405, this pair ranks #202,129 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of detecta vs detenga

Shared letters: adet. Private to "detecta": c. Private to "detenga": gn.

"detecta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "detenga" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • detectaddetecta · deetcta · detceta · detecat · deteccta · detectta · detetca · dettecta
  • detengaddetenga · deetnga · detegna · detenag · detengga · detennga · detnega · dettenga

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "detecta" and "detenga" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈt̪ekt̪a] versus [d̪eˈt̪ẽŋga]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "detecta" vs "detenga" - which ranks higher?
"detenga" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,589 in our Spanish list, against #16,816 for "detecta". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "detecta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "detenga" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #202,129 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "detecta" and "detenga" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detecta vs detente". 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 #202,129 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list