Which to use
“detecta” and “detesta” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,816
- “detecta” frequency rank
- #30,868
- “detesta” frequency rank
- 47684
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detecta | detesta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detectar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detestar. |
Where the eye mixes detecta and detesta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. detecta and detesta follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: detecta vs detesta
A purely visual mix-up. detecta ([d̪eˈt̪ekt̪a]) and detesta ([d̪eˈt̪est̪a]) 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 a single letter - c in “detecta” becomes s in “detesta”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47684, 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]. detesta is at rank #30,868, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪est̪a].
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 47684, this pair ranks #118,672 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of detecta vs detesta
Shared letters: adet. Private to "detecta": c. Private to "detesta": s.
"detecta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "detesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "detecta" for "detesta" ever safe?
Which is more common, "detecta" or "detesta"?
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 "detesta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #118,672 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detecta" and "detesta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detente vs detesta". 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 #118,672 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.