Which to use
“mantengas” and “mantenían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,943
- “mantengas” frequency rank
- #17,758
- “mantenían” frequency rank
- 58701
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantengas | mantenían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de mantener. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de mantener o de mantenerse. |
Where the eye mixes mantengas and mantenían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. mantengas (CVCCVCCVC) and mantenían (CVCCVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: mantengas vs mantenían
A purely visual mix-up. mantengas ([mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋgas]) and mantenían ([mãn̪t̪eˈniãn]) 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 58701, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mantengas is recorded at frequency rank #40,943, classified as averb, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪ẽŋgas]. mantenían is at rank #17,758, tagged as averb, pronounced [mãn̪t̪eˈniãn].
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 58701, this pair ranks #65,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mantengas vs mantenían
Shared letters: aemnt. Private to "mantengas": gs. Private to "mantenían": í.
"mantengas" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "mantenían" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mantengas ← amntengas · manetngas · manntengas · mantegnas · mantenags · mantengass · mantenggas · mantengsa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mantengas" for "mantenían" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mantengas" vs "mantenían" - which ranks higher?
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 "mantengas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mantenían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mantengas" and "mantenían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "manténganse vs mantengas". 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 #65,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.