Which to use
“mantener” and “mantente” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #827
- “mantener” frequency rank
- #23,855
- “mantente” frequency rank
- 24682
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantener | mantente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Proveer a alguien de sustento, en especial alimentario o económico | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de mantenerse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes mantener and mantente
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. mantener (CVCCVCVC) and mantente (CVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses mantener with mantente
A purely visual mix-up. mantener ([mãn̪t̪eˈneɾ]) and mantente ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪e]) 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 24682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mantener is recorded at frequency rank #827, classified as averb, pronounced [mãn̪t̪eˈneɾ]. mantente is at rank #23,855, tagged as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪e].
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 24682, this pair ranks #239,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mantener vs mantente
Shared letters: aemnt. Private to "mantener": r. Private to "mantente": -.
"mantener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "mantente" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mantener" and "mantente" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mantener" or "mantente"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mantener" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mantente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #239,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mantener" and "mantente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mantén vs mantente". 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 #239,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.