Which to use
“ten” is a verb and “tenso” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,450
- “ten” frequency rank
- #17,833
- “tenso” frequency rank
- 21283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ten | tenso |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de tener. | En tensión. |
Where the eye mixes ten and tenso
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ten and tenso
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ten is [ˈt̪ẽn] while tenso is [ˈt̪ẽnso]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ten” sits inside “tenso”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ten is recorded at frequency rank #3,450, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽn]. tenso is at rank #17,833, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽnso].
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 21283, this pair ranks #255,601 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ten vs tenso
Shared letters: ent. Private to "ten": -. Private to "tenso": os.
"ten" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tenso" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- tenso ← etnso · tennso · tenos · tensso · tesno · tneso · ttenso
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ten" for "tenso" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ten" vs "tenso" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tenso" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #255,601 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ten" and "tenso" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tenso vs tiento". 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 #255,601 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.