temenvstemoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,580
“temen” frequency rank
#5,898
“temo” frequency rank
16478
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature temen temo
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de temar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de temar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set temen and temo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
temen
4 ch
temo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. temen ([ˈt̪emẽn]) and temo ([ˈt̪emo]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16478, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

temen is recorded at frequency rank #10,580, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪emẽn]. temo is at rank #5,898, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪emo].

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 16478, this pair ranks #276,002 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of temen vs temo

Shared letters: emt. Private to "temen": n. Private to "temo": o.

"temen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "temo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • temenetmen · teemn · temenn · temmen · temne · tmeen · ttemen
  • temoetmo · temmo · teom · tmeo · ttemo

Frequency comparison

temen#10,580
temo#5,898

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "temen" and "temo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪emẽn] versus [ˈt̪emo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "temen" or "temo"?
"temo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,898 in our Spanish list, against #10,580 for "temen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering temen vs temo

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 “temen” 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