Which to use
“detesta” and “detesto” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,868
- “detesta” frequency rank
- #12,361
- “detesto” frequency rank
- 43229
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detesta | detesto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detestar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de detestar. |
Where the eye mixes detesta and detesto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. detesta 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 detesta and detesto
A purely visual mix-up. detesta ([d̪eˈt̪est̪a]) 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 differ by a single letter - a in “detesta” becomes o in “detesto”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43229, 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]. 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 43229, this pair ranks #143,833 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of detesta vs detesto
Shared letters: dest. Private to "detesta": a. Private to "detesto": o.
"detesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "detesto" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "detesta" for "detesto" ever safe?
Which is more common, "detesta" 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 "detesta" 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 #143,833 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detesta" and "detesto" 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 #143,833 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.