temenvstenésWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,580
“temen” frequency rank
#5,568
“tenés” frequency rank
16148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature temen tenés
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de temar. Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de indicativo de tener o de tenerse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
temen
5 ch
tenés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. temen ([ˈt̪emẽn]) and tenés ([t̪eˈnes]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16148, 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]. tenés is at rank #5,568, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪eˈnes].

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 16148, this pair ranks #277,336 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of temen vs tenés

Shared letters: ent. Private to "temen": m. Private to "tenés": .

"temen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tenés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • temenetmen · teemn · temenn · temmen · temne · tmeen · ttemen

Frequency comparison

temen#10,580
tenés#5,568

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "temen" and "tenés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪emẽn] versus [t̪eˈnes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "temen" or "tenés"?
"tenés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,568 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 tenés

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