Which to use
“detengo” and “detesto” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,767
- “detengo” frequency rank
- #12,361
- “detesto” frequency rank
- 53128
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detengo | detesto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de detener. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de detestar. |
Where the eye mixes detengo and detesto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. detengo and detesto follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between detengo and detesto
A purely visual mix-up. detengo ([d̪eˈt̪ẽŋgo]) and detesto ([d̪eˈt̪est̪o]) 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 53128, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detengo is recorded at frequency rank #40,767, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪ẽŋgo]. detesto is at rank #12,361, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪est̪o].
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 53128, this pair ranks #89,388 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of detengo vs detesto
Shared letters: deot. Private to "detengo": gn. Private to "detesto": s.
"detengo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "detesto" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "detengo" and "detesto" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "detengo" or "detesto"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "detengo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detesto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #89,388 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detengo" and "detesto" 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 #89,388 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.