Which to use
“detiene” and “detienen” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,898
- “detiene” frequency rank
- #12,133
- “detienen” frequency rank
- 19031
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detiene | detienen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detener. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de detener o de detenerse. |
Where the eye mixes detiene and detienen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. detiene runs 7 letters (CVCVVCV) against detienen's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between detiene and detienen
A purely visual mix-up. detiene ([d̪eˈt̪jene]) and detienen ([d̪eˈt̪jenẽn]) 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) - “detiene” sits inside “detienen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detiene is recorded at frequency rank #6,898, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪jene]. detienen is at rank #12,133, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪jenẽn].
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 19031, this pair ranks #265,473 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of detiene vs detienen
Shared letters: deint. Private to "detiene": -. Private to "detienen": -.
"detiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "detienen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "detiene" for "detienen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "detiene" or "detienen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "detiene" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "detienen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #265,473 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detiene" and "detienen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detienen vs deviene". 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 #265,473 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.