Which to use
“detesta” and “detestan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,868
- “detesta” frequency rank
- #40,251
- “detestan” frequency rank
- 71119
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detesta | detestan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detestar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detestar. |
Where the eye mixes detesta and detestan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. detesta runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against detestan's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses detesta with detestan
A purely visual mix-up. detesta ([d̪eˈt̪est̪a]) and detestan ([d̪eˈt̪est̪ãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “detesta” sits inside “detestan”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detesta is recorded at frequency rank #30,868, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪est̪a]. detestan is at rank #40,251, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪est̪ãn].
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 71119, this pair ranks #28,189 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of detesta vs detestan
Shared letters: adest. Private to "detesta": -. Private to "detestan": n.
"detesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "detestan" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "detesta" for "detestan" ever safe?
Frequency check: "detesta" vs "detestan" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "detesta" and "detestan" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "detesta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detestan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #28,189 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detesta" and "detestan" 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 #28,189 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.