Which to use
“intentar” and “intenten” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,820
- “intentar” frequency rank
- #15,647
- “intenten” frequency rank
- 17467
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intentar | intenten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prepararse para hacer algo, tomar las medidas necesarias y hacer el esfuerzo para conseguirlo. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de intentar. |
Where the eye mixes intentar and intenten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between intentar and intenten
A purely visual mix-up. intentar ([ĩn̪t̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and intenten ([ĩn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪ẽn]) 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 17467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intentar is recorded at frequency rank #1,820, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩn̪t̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. intenten is at rank #15,647, tagged as averb, pronounced [ĩn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪ẽn].
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 17467, this pair ranks #271,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of intentar vs intenten
Shared letters: eint. Private to "intentar": ar. Private to "intenten": -.
"intentar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "intenten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "intentar" and "intenten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "intentar" or "intenten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "intentar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "intenten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #271,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "intentar" and "intenten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "intenten vs inventen". 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 #271,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.