Which to use
“mantén” and “mantenga” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,856
- “mantén” frequency rank
- #7,592
- “mantenga” frequency rank
- 31448
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantén | mantenga |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de mantener. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de mantener o de mantenerse. |
Where the eye mixes mantén and mantenga
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. mantén runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against mantenga's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between mantén and mantenga
A purely visual mix-up. mantén ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn]) and mantenga ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋga]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31448, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mantén is recorded at frequency rank #23,856, classified as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn]. mantenga is at rank #7,592, tagged as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋga].
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 31448, this pair ranks #207,036 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mantén vs mantenga
Shared letters: amnt. Private to "mantén": é. Private to "mantenga": eg.
"mantén" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mantenga" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mantenga ← amntenga · manetnga · manntenga · mantegna · mantenag · mantengga · mantennga · mantnega
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mantén" and "mantenga" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "mantén" vs "mantenga" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mantén" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mantenga" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #207,036 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mantén" and "mantenga" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mantén vs mantis". 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 #207,036 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.