tengáisvstenganWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,529
“tengáis” frequency rank
#1,227
“tengan” frequency rank
21756
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tengáis tengan
Definition Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de tener o de tenerse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de tener o de tenerse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
tengáis
6 ch
tengan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tengáis ([t̪ẽŋˈgajs]) and tengan ([ˈt̪ẽŋgãn]) 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 21756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tengáis is recorded at frequency rank #20,529, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ẽŋˈgajs]. tengan is at rank #1,227, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽŋgãn].

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 21756, this pair ranks #253,478 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tengáis vs tengan

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

"tengáis" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "tengan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tenganetngan · tegnan · tenagn · tengann · tenggan · tengna · tenngan · tnegan

Frequency comparison

tengáis#20,529
tengan#1,227

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tengáis" and "tengan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ẽŋˈgajs] versus [ˈt̪ẽŋgãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tengáis" or "tengan"?
"tengan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,227 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 tengáis vs tengan

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 “tengáis” 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