Which to use
“sostener” and “sostenga” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,593
- “sostener” frequency rank
- #32,884
- “sostenga” frequency rank
- 39477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sostener | sostenga |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tener o mantener algo en la mano. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de sostener o de sostenerse. |
Where the eye mixes sostener and sostenga
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. sostener (CVCCVCVC) and sostenga (CVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between sostener and sostenga
A purely visual mix-up. sostener ([sost̪eˈneɾ]) and sostenga ([sosˈt̪ẽŋga]) 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 39477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sostener is recorded at frequency rank #6,593, classified as averb, pronounced [sost̪eˈneɾ]. sostenga is at rank #32,884, tagged as averb, pronounced [sosˈt̪ẽŋga].
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 39477, this pair ranks #164,253 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sostener vs sostenga
Shared letters: enost. Private to "sostener": r. Private to "sostenga": ag.
"sostener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "sostenga" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sostener" and "sostenga" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sostener" or "sostenga"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "sostener" and "sostenga" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sostener" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sostenga" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,253 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sostener" and "sostenga" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sostenga vs sostenían". 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 #164,253 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.