Which to use
“detenga” and “detente” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,589
- “detenga” frequency rank
- #47,728
- “detente” frequency rank
- 63317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detenga | detente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de detener o de detenerse. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de detenerse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes detenga and detente
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: detenga vs detente
A purely visual mix-up. detenga ([d̪eˈt̪ẽŋga]) and detente ([d̪eˈt̪ẽn̪t̪e]) 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 63317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detenga is recorded at frequency rank #15,589, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ẽŋga]. detente is at rank #47,728, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ẽn̪t̪e].
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 63317, this pair ranks #49,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of detenga vs detente
Shared letters: dent. Private to "detenga": ag. Private to "detente": -.
"detenga" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "detente" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "detenga" and "detente" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "detenga" vs "detente" - which ranks higher?
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 "detenga" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detenga" and "detente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déjense vs detente". 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 #49,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.