Which to use
“tien” and “tun” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,874
- “tien” frequency rank
- #34,821
- “tun” frequency rank
- 68695
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tien | tun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de tenel. | Pasar, (acaecer). |
Where the eye mixes tien and tun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tien vs tun
A purely visual mix-up. tien (/ˈtjen/) and tun ([ˈtuːn]) 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 68695, 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/. tun is at rank #34,821, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtuːn].
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 68695, this pair ranks #33,818 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tien vs tun
Shared letters: nt. Private to "tien": ei. Private to "tun": u.
"tien" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "tun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tien ← iten · tein · tienn · tine · ttien
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tien" for "tun" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tien" or "tun"?
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 "tun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #33,818 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tien" and "tun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tul vs tun". 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 #33,818 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.