mandenvsmanténWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“manden” and “mantén” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,419
“manden” frequency rank
#23,856
“mantén” frequency rank
36275
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature manden mantén
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de mandar o de mandarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de mantener.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set manden and mantén apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
manden
6 ch
mantén

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. manden ([ˈmãn̪d̪ẽn]) and mantén ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn]) 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 36275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

manden is recorded at frequency rank #12,419, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmãn̪d̪ẽn]. mantén is at rank #23,856, tagged as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn].

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 36275, this pair ranks #181,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of manden vs mantén

Shared letters: amn. Private to "manden": de. Private to "mantén": .

"manden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "mantén" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mandenamnden · madnen · mandden · mandenn · mandne · manedn · mannden · mmanden

Frequency comparison

manden#12,419
mantén#23,856

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "manden" and "mantén" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmãn̪d̪ẽn] versus [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "manden" or "mantén"?
"manden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,419 in our Spanish list, against #23,856 for "mantén". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering manden vs mantén

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “manden” 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