Which to use
“mantenga” is a verb and “mantenida” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,592
- “mantenga” frequency rank
- #20,118
- “mantenida” frequency rank
- 27710
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantenga | mantenida |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de mantener o de mantenerse. | Forma del femenino de mantenido, participio de mantener o de mantenerse. |
Where the eye mixes mantenga and mantenida
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. mantenga runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against mantenida's 9 (CVCCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses mantenga with mantenida
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mantenga is [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋga] while mantenida is [mãn̪t̪eˈnið̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27710, 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]. mantenida is at rank #20,118, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [mãn̪t̪eˈnið̞a].
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 27710, this pair ranks #225,498 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mantenga vs mantenida
Shared letters: aemnt. Private to "mantenga": g. Private to "mantenida": di.
"mantenga" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "mantenida" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mantenga" and "mantenida" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "mantenga" or "mantenida" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mantenga" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mantenida" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #225,498 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mantenga" and "mantenida" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mantenida vs mantenidas". 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 #225,498 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.