Which to use
“tenían” is a verb and “tenis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #954
- “tenían” frequency rank
- #4,656
- “tenis” frequency rank
- 5610
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenían | tenis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tener o de tenerse. | Deporte que consiste en golpear con una raqueta una pelota para lanzarla de un lugar a otro. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tenían and tenis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tenían is [t̪eˈniãn] while tenis is [ˈt̪enis]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5610, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenían is recorded at frequency rank #954, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪eˈniãn]. tenis is at rank #4,656, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪enis].
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 5610, this pair ranks #313,180 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tenían vs tenis
Shared letters: ent. Private to "tenían": aí. Private to "tenis": is.
"tenían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "tenis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tenis ← etnis · teins · teniss · tensi · tneis · ttenis
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tenían" and "tenis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tenían" or "tenis"?
Remembering tenían vs tenis
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tenían”; for a noun, it's “tenis”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tenían” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable