intentenvsintentoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: intenten is a verb, intento is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“intenten” is a verb and “intento” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,647
“intenten” frequency rank
#1,350
“intento” frequency rank
16997
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature intenten intento
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de intentar. Atento.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intenten and intento apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
intenten
7 ch
intento

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

intenten and intento form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

intenten is recorded at frequency rank #15,647, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪ẽn]. intento is at rank #1,350, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ĩn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪o].

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 16997, this pair ranks #273,953 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

intenten#15,647
intento#1,350

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "intenten" and "intento" be used interchangeably?
No, "intenten" and "intento" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering intenten vs intento

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “intenten”; for an adjective, it's “intento”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “intenten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list