tenganvstraganWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,227
“tengan” frequency rank
#43,897
“tragan” frequency rank
45124
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tengan tragan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de tener o de tenerse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de tragar o de tragarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
tengan
6 ch
tragan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tengan ([ˈt̪ẽŋgãn]) and tragan ([ˈt̪ɾaɣ̞ãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45124, 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]. tragan is at rank #43,897, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ɾaɣ̞ãn].

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 45124, this pair ranks #133,259 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tengan vs tragan

Shared letters: agnt. Private to "tengan": e. Private to "tragan": r.

"tengan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "tragan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tenganetngan · tegnan · tenagn · tengann · tenggan · tengna · tenngan · tnegan
  • traganrtagan · targan · traagn · tragann · traggan · tragna · trgaan · trragan

Frequency comparison

tengan#1,227
tragan#43,897

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tengan" and "tragan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪ẽŋgãn] versus [ˈt̪ɾaɣ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tengan" or "tragan"?
"tengan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,227 in our Spanish list, against #43,897 for "tragan". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering tengan vs tragan

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