Which to use
“tenaz” is an adjective and “tensas” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,179
- “tenaz” frequency rank
- #36,322
- “tensas” frequency rank
- 64501
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenaz | tensas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que se pega, ase o prende a una cosa, y es dificultoso de separar. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de tensar. |
Where the eye mixes tenaz and tensas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tenaz runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against tensas's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses tenaz with tensas
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tenaz is [t̪eˈnas] while tensas is [ˈt̪ẽnsas]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64501, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenaz is recorded at frequency rank #28,179, classified as anadj, pronounced [t̪eˈnas]. tensas is at rank #36,322, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽnsas].
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 64501, this pair ranks #45,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tenaz vs tensas
Shared letters: aent. Private to "tenaz": z. Private to "tensas": s.
"tenaz" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tensas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tenaz" for "tensas" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tenaz" vs "tensas" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tenaz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tensas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #45,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tenaz" and "tensas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tandas vs tensas". 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 #45,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.