tenés vs tes, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#5,568
“tenés” frequency rank: #28,970
“tes” frequency rank: 34538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	tenés	tes
Definition	Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de indicativo de tener o de tenerse.	Forma del plural de te.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tenés and tes apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

tenés

3 ch

tes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tenés is [t̪eˈnes] while tes 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tenés is recorded at frequency rank #5,568, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪eˈnes]. tes is at rank #28,970, 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 34538, this pair ranks #190,894 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tenés vs tes

Shared letters: est. Private to "tenés": né. Private to "tes": -.

"tenés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tes" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

tenés#5,568

tes#28,970

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tenés" and "tes" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tenés" is a verb and "tes" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "tenés" or "tes"?

"tenés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,568 in our Spanish list, against #28,970 for "tes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tenés vs tes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tenés”; for a noun, it's “tes”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tenés” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable