Which to use
“sostener” and “sostiene” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,593
- “sostener” frequency rank
- #4,383
- “sostiene” frequency rank
- 10976
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sostener | sostiene |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tener o mantener algo en la mano. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sostener. |
Where the eye mixes sostener and sostiene
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. sostener (CVCCVCVC) and sostiene (CVCCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between sostener and sostiene
A purely visual mix-up. sostener ([sost̪eˈneɾ]) and sostiene ([sosˈt̪jene]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10976, 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]. sostiene is at rank #4,383, tagged as averb, pronounced [sosˈt̪jene].
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 10976, this pair ranks #296,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sostener vs sostiene
Shared letters: enost. Private to "sostener": r. Private to "sostiene": i.
"sostener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "sostiene" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sostener" and "sostiene" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "sostener" or "sostiene"?
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 "sostener" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sostiene" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #296,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sostener" and "sostiene" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sostener vs sostenerse". 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 #296,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.