Which to use
“detención” and “detenciones” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,095
- “detención” frequency rank
- #16,076
- “detenciones” frequency rank
- 21171
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detención | detenciones |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de detener o de detenerse. | Forma del plural de detención |
Where the eye mixes detención and detenciones
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. detención runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVVC) against detenciones's 11 (CVCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between detención and detenciones
A purely visual mix-up. detención ([d̪et̪ẽnˈsjõn]) and detenciones ([d̪et̪ẽnˈsjones]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detención is recorded at frequency rank #5,095, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪et̪ẽnˈsjõn]. detenciones is at rank #16,076, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪et̪ẽnˈsjones].
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 21171, this pair ranks #256,087 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of detención vs detenciones
Shared letters: cdeint. Private to "detención": ó. Private to "detenciones": os.
"detención" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "detenciones" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- detenciones ← ddetenciones · deetnciones · detecniones · detencciones · detencinoes · detencioens · detencioness · detencionnes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "detención" for "detenciones" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "detención" or "detenciones" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "detención" and "detenciones" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "detención" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detenciones" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #256,087 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detención" and "detenciones" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deserciones vs detenciones". 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 #256,087 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.