Which to use
“detectan” and “detesta” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,114
- “detectan” frequency rank
- #30,868
- “detesta” frequency rank
- 54982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detectan | detesta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 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 detectan and detesta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. detectan runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against detesta's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses detectan with detesta
A purely visual mix-up. detectan ([d̪eˈt̪ekt̪ãn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54982, 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]. 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 54982, this pair ranks #80,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of detectan vs detesta
Shared letters: adet. Private to "detectan": cn. Private to "detesta": s.
"detectan" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "detesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "detectan" for "detesta" ever safe?
Frequency check: "detectan" vs "detesta" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "detectan" and "detesta" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "detectan" 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 #80,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detectan" 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 #80,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.