Which to use
“ten” is a verb and “tú” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,450
- “ten” frequency rank
- #310
- “tú” frequency rank
- 3760
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ten | tú |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de tener. | Nominativo y vocativo del pronombre personal de la segunda persona del singular. |
Where the eye mixes ten and tú
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ten and tú
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ten is [ˈt̪ẽn] while tú is [ˈt̪u]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3760, 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]. tú is at rank #310, tagged as apron, pronounced [ˈt̪u].
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 3760, this pair ranks #317,614 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ten vs tú
Shared letters: t. Private to "ten": en. Private to "tú": ú.
"ten" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tú" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ten" and "tú" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ten" or "tú" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tú" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #317,614 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ten" and "tú" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ten vs tul". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #317,614 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.