Which to use
“detener” and “detengo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,316
- “detener” frequency rank
- #40,767
- “detengo” frequency rank
- 44083
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detener | detengo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suspender una cosa, impedir, estorbar que pase adelante. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de detener. |
Where the eye mixes detener and detengo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. detener (CVCVCVC) and detengo (CVCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between detener and detengo
A purely visual mix-up. detener ([d̪et̪eˈneɾ]) and detengo ([d̪eˈt̪ẽŋgo]) 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 44083, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detener is recorded at frequency rank #3,316, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪et̪eˈneɾ]. detengo is at rank #40,767, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ẽŋgo].
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 44083, this pair ranks #139,006 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of detener vs detengo
Shared letters: dent. Private to "detener": r. Private to "detengo": go.
"detener" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "detengo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "detener" and "detengo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "detener" or "detengo"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "detener" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detengo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #139,006 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detener" and "detengo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detengas vs detengo". 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 #139,006 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.