Which to use
“tenemos” is a verb and “tensos” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #229
- “tenemos” frequency rank
- #40,019
- “tensos” frequency rank
- 40248
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenemos | tensos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de indicativo de tener o de tenerse. | Forma del masculino plural de tenso. |
Where the eye mixes tenemos and tensos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tenemos runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against tensos's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between tenemos and tensos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tenemos is [t̪eˈnemos] while tensos is [ˈt̪ẽnsos]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenemos is recorded at frequency rank #229, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪eˈnemos]. tensos is at rank #40,019, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽnsos].
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 40248, this pair ranks #160,114 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tenemos vs tensos
Shared letters: enost. Private to "tenemos": m. Private to "tensos": -.
"tenemos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "tensos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tenemos" for "tensos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tenemos" or "tensos"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "tenemos" and "tensos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tenemos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tensos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #160,114 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tenemos" and "tensos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tensos vs termos". 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 #160,114 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.