tendíanvsteníasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“tendían” and “tenías” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#48,111
“tendían” frequency rank
#6,240
“tenías” frequency rank
54351
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tendían tenías
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tender o de tenderse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tener o de tenerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tendían and tenías apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
tendían
6 ch
tenías

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tendían ([t̪ẽn̪ˈd̪iãn]) and tenías ([t̪eˈnias]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tendían is recorded at frequency rank #48,111, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ẽn̪ˈd̪iãn]. tenías is at rank #6,240, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪eˈnias].

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 54351, this pair ranks #83,733 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tendían vs tenías

Shared letters: aentí. Private to "tendían": d. Private to "tenías": s.

"tendían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "tenías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequency comparison

tendían#48,111
tenías#6,240

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tendían" and "tenías" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ẽn̪ˈd̪iãn] versus [t̪eˈnias]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tendían" or "tenías"?
"tenías" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,240 in our Spanish list, against #48,111 for "tendían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tendían vs tenías

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tendían” 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