tenvstulWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ten is a verb, tul is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ten” is a verb and “tul” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,450
“ten” frequency rank
#47,471
“tul” frequency rank
50921
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ten tul
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de tener. Tejido delgado y transparente que permite pasar la luz.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ten and tul apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
ten
3 ch
tul

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ten is [ˈt̪ẽn] while tul is [ˈt̪ul]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50921, 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]. tul is at rank #47,471, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪ul].

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 50921, this pair ranks #100,624 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ten vs tul

Shared letters: t. Private to "ten": en. Private to "tul": lu.

"ten" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tul" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

ten#3,450
tul#47,471

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ten" and "tul" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ten" is a verb and "tul" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ten" or "tul"?
"ten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,450 in our Spanish list, against #47,471 for "tul". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ten vs tul

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ten”; for a noun, it's “tul”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ten” 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