Which to use
“mantenga” and “manténgase” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,592
- “mantenga” frequency rank
- #42,021
- “manténgase” frequency rank
- 49613
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantenga | manténgase |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de mantener o de mantenerse. | Segunda persona del singular (usted) del imperativo afirmativo de mantenerse (con el pronombre «se» enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes mantenga and manténgase
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. mantenga runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against manténgase's 10 (CVCCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses mantenga with manténgase
A purely visual mix-up. mantenga ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋga]) and manténgase ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋgase]) 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 49613, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mantenga is recorded at frequency rank #7,592, classified as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋga]. manténgase is at rank #42,021, tagged as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋgase].
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 49613, this pair ranks #107,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mantenga vs manténgase
Shared letters: aegmnt. Private to "mantenga": -. Private to "manténgase": sé.
"mantenga" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "manténgase" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mantenga ← amntenga · manetnga · manntenga · mantegna · mantenag · mantengga · mantennga · mantnega
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mantenga" and "manténgase" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "mantenga" or "manténgase" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mantenga" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "manténgase" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #107,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mantenga" and "manténgase" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "manténganse vs manténgase". 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 #107,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.