tengavstengáisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#637
“tenga” frequency rank
#20,529
“tengáis” frequency rank
21166
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tenga tengáis
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de tener o de tenerse. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de tener o de tenerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tenga and tengáis apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tenga
7 ch
tengáis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tenga ([ˈt̪ẽŋga]) and tengáis ([t̪ẽŋˈgajs]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tenga is recorded at frequency rank #637, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽŋga]. tengáis is at rank #20,529, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪ẽŋˈgajs].

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 21166, this pair ranks #256,107 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tenga vs tengáis

Shared letters: egnt. Private to "tenga": a. Private to "tengáis": isá.

"tenga" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "tengáis" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tengaetnga · tegna · tenag · tengga · tennga · tnega · ttenga

Frequency comparison

tenga#637
tengáis#20,529

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tenga" and "tengáis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪ẽŋga] versus [t̪ẽŋˈgajs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tenga" or "tengáis"?
"tenga" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #637 in our Spanish list, against #20,529 for "tengáis". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering tenga vs tengáis

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 “tenga” 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