Which to use
“tenías” and “tensas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,240
- “tenías” frequency rank
- #36,322
- “tensas” frequency rank
- 42562
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenías | tensas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tener o de tenerse. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de tensar. |
Where the eye mixes tenías and tensas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tenías (CVCVVC) and tensas (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between tenías and tensas
A purely visual mix-up. tenías ([t̪eˈnias]) and tensas ([ˈt̪ẽnsas]) 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 - í in “tenías” becomes s in “tensas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42562, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenías is recorded at frequency rank #6,240, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪eˈnias]. tensas is at rank #36,322, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽnsas].
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 42562, this pair ranks #147,513 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tenías vs tensas
Shared letters: aenst. Private to "tenías": í. Private to "tensas": -.
"tenías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "tensas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tensas ← etnsas · tenass · tennsas · tensass · tenssas · tesnas · tnesas · ttensas
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tenías" for "tensas" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tenías" or "tensas"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "tenías" and "tensas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tenías" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tensas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #147,513 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tenías" and "tensas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tandas vs tensas". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #147,513 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.