mientanvsmientesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“mientan” and “mientes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,815
“mientan” frequency rank
#21,406
“mientes” frequency rank
60221
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mientan mientes
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de mentir. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de mentir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mientan and mientes apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
mientan
7 ch
mientes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mientan ([ˈmjẽn̪t̪ãn]) and mientes ([ˈmjẽn̪t̪es]) 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 60221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mientan is recorded at frequency rank #38,815, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmjẽn̪t̪ãn]. mientes is at rank #21,406, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmjẽn̪t̪es].

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 60221, this pair ranks #59,721 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mientan vs mientes

Shared letters: eimnt. Private to "mientan": a. Private to "mientes": s.

"mientan" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "mientes" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mientanimentan · meintan · mienatn · mienntan · mientann · mientna · mienttan · mietnan
  • mientesimentes · meintes · mienets · mienntes · mientess · mientse · mienttes · mietnes

Frequency comparison

mientan#38,815
mientes#21,406

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mientan" and "mientes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmjẽn̪t̪ãn] versus [ˈmjẽn̪t̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mientan" or "mientes"?
"mientes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,406 in our Spanish list, against #38,815 for "mientan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mientan vs mientes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mientan” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list