obtienenvsobtienesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,558
“obtienen” frequency rank
#20,441
“obtienes” frequency rank
28999
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obtienen obtienes
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de obtener. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de obtener.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obtienen and obtienes apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
obtienen
8 ch
obtienes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obtienen ([oβ̞ˈt̪jenẽn]) and obtienes ([oβ̞ˈt̪jenes]) 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 a single letter - n in “obtienen” becomes s in “obtienes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obtienen is recorded at frequency rank #8,558, classified as averb, pronounced [oβ̞ˈt̪jenẽn]. obtienes is at rank #20,441, tagged as averb, pronounced [oβ̞ˈt̪jenes].

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 28999, this pair ranks #219,214 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of obtienen vs obtienes

Shared letters: beinot. Private to "obtienen": -. Private to "obtienes": s.

"obtienen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "obtienes" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obtienenbotienen · obbtienen · obitenen · obteinen · obtieenn · obtienenn · obtiennen · obtineen
  • obtienesbotienes · obbtienes · obitenes · obteines · obtieens · obtieness · obtiennes · obtiense

Frequency comparison

obtienen#8,558
obtienes#20,441

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obtienen" and "obtienes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oβ̞ˈt̪jenẽn] versus [oβ̞ˈt̪jenes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obtienen" or "obtienes"?
"obtienen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,558 in our Spanish list, against #20,441 for "obtienes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obtienen vs obtienes

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 “obtienen” 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