Which to use
“detectan” and “detengan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,114
- “detectan” frequency rank
- #17,109
- “detengan” frequency rank
- 41223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detectan | detengan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detectar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de detener o de detenerse. |
Where the eye mixes detectan and detengan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. detectan and detengan follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: detectan vs detengan
A purely visual mix-up. detectan ([d̪eˈt̪ekt̪ãn]) and detengan ([d̪eˈt̪ẽŋgãn]) 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 41223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detectan is recorded at frequency rank #24,114, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ekt̪ãn]. detengan is at rank #17,109, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ẽŋgãn].
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 41223, this pair ranks #154,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of detectan vs detengan
Shared letters: adent. Private to "detectan": c. Private to "detengan": g.
"detectan" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "detengan" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "detectan" and "detengan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "detectan" or "detengan"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "detectan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detengan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #154,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detectan" and "detengan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detengan vs detengas". 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 #154,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.