tenganvstengasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,227
“tengan” frequency rank
#1,591
“tengas” frequency rank
2818
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tengan tengas
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) 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 tengan and tengas apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tengan
6 ch
tengas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tengan ([ˈt̪ẽŋgãn]) 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 a single letter - n in “tengan” becomes s in “tengas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tengan is recorded at frequency rank #1,227, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽŋgãn]. 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 2818, this pair ranks #319,585 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tengan vs tengas

Shared letters: aegnt. Private to "tengan": -. Private to "tengas": s.

"tengan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "tengas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tenganetngan · tegnan · tenagn · tengann · tenggan · tengna · tenngan · tnegan
  • tengasetngas · tegnas · tenags · tengass · tenggas · tengsa · tenngas · tnegas

Frequency comparison

tengan#1,227
tengas#1,591

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tengan" and "tengas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪ẽŋgãn] versus [ˈt̪ẽŋgas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tengan" or "tengas"?
"tengan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,227 in our Spanish list, against #1,591 for "tengas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tengan 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 “tengan” 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