Which to use
“tenir” and “tenta” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,099
- “tenir” frequency rank
- #18,340
- “tenta” frequency rank
- 19439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenir | tenta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Garder fermement dans la main ou dans les mains. | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de tenter. |
Where the eye mixes tenir and tenta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tenir vs tenta
A purely visual mix-up. tenir (\tə.niʁ\) and tenta (\tɑ̃.ta\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenir is recorded at frequency rank #1,099, classified as averb, pronounced \tə.niʁ\. tenta is at rank #18,340, tagged as averb, pronounced \tɑ̃.ta\.
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 19439, this pair ranks #373,259 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tenir vs tenta
Shared letters: ent. Private to "tenir": ir. Private to "tenta": a.
"tenir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tenta" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tenir" and "tenta" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "tenir" vs "tenta" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tenir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tenta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #373,259 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tenir" and "tenta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tenta vs tinto". 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 #373,259 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.