Which to use
“detenga” and “detesta” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,589
- “detenga” frequency rank
- #30,868
- “detesta” frequency rank
- 46457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detenga | detesta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de detener o de detenerse. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detestar. |
Where the eye mixes detenga and detesta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. detenga and detesta follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: detenga vs detesta
A purely visual mix-up. detenga ([d̪eˈt̪ẽŋga]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46457, 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]. 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 46457, this pair ranks #125,601 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of detenga vs detesta
Shared letters: adet. Private to "detenga": gn. Private to "detesta": s.
"detenga" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "detesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "detenga" and "detesta" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "detenga" or "detesta"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "detenga" and "detesta" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "detenga" 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 #125,601 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detenga" 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 #125,601 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.