Which to use
“mantén” is a verb and “margen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,856
- “mantén” frequency rank
- #2,838
- “margen” frequency rank
- 26694
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantén | margen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de mantener. | Zona límite entre la tierra y el agua o entre dos zonas de tierra. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mantén and margen apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mantén is [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn] while margen is [ˈmaɾxẽn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26694, 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]. margen is at rank #2,838, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaɾxẽn].
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 26694, this pair ranks #230,413 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mantén vs margen
Shared letters: amn. Private to "mantén": té. Private to "margen": egr.
"mantén" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "margen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- margen ← amrgen · magren · maregn · margenn · marggen · margne · marrgen · mmargen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mantén" and "margen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mantén" or "margen"?
Remembering mantén vs margen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mantén”; for a noun, it's “margen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mantén” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable