Which to use
“tenaz” is an adjective and “tez” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,179
- “tenaz” frequency rank
- #25,840
- “tez” frequency rank
- 54019
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenaz | tez |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que se pega, ase o prende a una cosa, y es dificultoso de separar. | Aspecto externo o superficie, en especial del rostro humano. |
Where the eye mixes tenaz and tez
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. tenaz runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against tez's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between tenaz and tez
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tenaz is [t̪eˈnas] while tez is [ˈt̪es]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54019, 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]. tez is at rank #25,840, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪es].
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 54019, this pair ranks #85,179 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tenaz vs tez
Shared letters: etz. Private to "tenaz": an. Private to "tez": -.
"tenaz" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tez" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tenaz ← etnaz · teanz · tenazz · tennaz · tenza · tneaz · ttenaz
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tenaz" and "tez" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tenaz" or "tez"?
What to do next
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 "tez" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,179 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tenaz" and "tez" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tez vs tul". 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 #85,179 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.