Which to use
“detenido” is an adjective and “detenidos” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,243
- “detenido” frequency rank
- #4,699
- “detenidos” frequency rank
- 7942
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detenido | detenidos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que ha dejado de moverse. | Forma del plural de detenido, participio de detener o de detenerse. |
Where the eye mixes detenido and detenidos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. detenido runs 8 letters (CVCVCVCV) against detenidos's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses detenido with detenidos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: detenido is [d̪et̪eˈnið̞o] while detenidos is [d̪et̪eˈnið̞os]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “detenido” sits inside “detenidos”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7942, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detenido is recorded at frequency rank #3,243, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪et̪eˈnið̞o]. detenidos is at rank #4,699, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪et̪eˈnið̞os].
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 7942, this pair ranks #306,458 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of detenido vs detenidos
Shared letters: deinot. Private to "detenido": -. Private to "detenidos": s.
"detenido" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "detenidos" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "detenido" and "detenidos" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "detenido" or "detenidos"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "detenido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detenidos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,458 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detenido" and "detenidos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defendidos vs detenidos". 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 #306,458 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.