Which to use
“tensa” is a verb and “tensos” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,738
- “tensa” frequency rank
- #40,019
- “tensos” frequency rank
- 55757
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tensa | tensos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de tensar. | Forma del masculino plural de tenso. |
Where the eye mixes tensa and tensos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tensa runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against tensos's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: tensa vs tensos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tensa is [ˈt̪ẽnsa] while tensos is [ˈt̪ẽnsos]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55757, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tensa is recorded at frequency rank #15,738, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽnsa]. tensos is at rank #40,019, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪ẽnsos].
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 55757, this pair ranks #77,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tensa vs tensos
Shared letters: enst. Private to "tensa": a. Private to "tensos": o.
"tensa" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "tensos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tensa" for "tensos" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tensa" vs "tensos" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tensa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tensos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #77,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tensa" and "tensos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tensos vs termos". 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 #77,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.