Which to use
“tien” and “times” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,874
- “tien” frequency rank
- #4,841
- “times” frequency rank
- 38715
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tien | times |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de tenel. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de timar. |
Where the eye mixes tien and times
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. tien runs 4 letters (CVVC) against times's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: tien vs times
A purely visual mix-up. tien (/ˈtjen/) and times ([ˈt̪imes]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38715, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tien is recorded at frequency rank #33,874, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈtjen/. times is at rank #4,841, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪imes].
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 38715, this pair ranks #168,488 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tien vs times
Shared letters: eit. Private to "tien": n. Private to "times": ms.
"tien" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "times" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tien" for "times" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tien" or "times"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tien" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "times" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #168,488 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tien" and "times" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tien vs till". 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 #168,488 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.