tengáisvstengasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,529
“tengáis” frequency rank
#1,591
“tengas” frequency rank
22120
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
tengáis
6 ch
tengas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tengáis ([t̪ẽŋˈgajs]) and tengas ([ˈt̪ẽŋgas]) 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 22120, 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]. tengas is at rank #1,591, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽŋgas].

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 22120, this pair ranks #251,822 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tengáis vs tengas

Shared letters: egnst. Private to "tengáis": . Private to "tengas": a.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tengasetngas · tegnas · tenags · tengass · tenggas · tengsa · tenngas · tnegas

Frequency comparison

tengáis#20,529
tengas#1,591

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tengáis" and "tengas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ẽŋˈgajs] versus [ˈt̪ẽŋgas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tengáis" or "tengas"?
"tengas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,591 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 tengas

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