Which to use
“obtén” and “obtenía” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,319
- “obtén” frequency rank
- #31,025
- “obtenía” frequency rank
- 60344
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obtén | obtenía |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de obtener. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de obtener. |
Where the eye mixes obtén and obtenía
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. obtén runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against obtenía's 7 (VCCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between obtén and obtenía
A purely visual mix-up. obtén ([oβ̞ˈt̪ẽn]) and obtenía ([oβ̞t̪eˈnia]) 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 60344, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obtén is recorded at frequency rank #29,319, classified as averb, pronounced [oβ̞ˈt̪ẽn]. obtenía is at rank #31,025, tagged as averb, pronounced [oβ̞t̪eˈnia].
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 60344, this pair ranks #59,266 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of obtén vs obtenía
Shared letters: bnot. Private to "obtén": é. Private to "obtenía": aeí.
"obtén" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "obtenía" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "obtén" for "obtenía" ever safe?
Which is more common, "obtén" or "obtenía"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "obtén" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "obtenía" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,266 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obtén" and "obtenía" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obtén vs omiten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #59,266 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.