Which to use
“tendo” is a verb and “tensão” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #591
- “tendo” frequency rank
- #2,913
- “tensão” frequency rank
- 3504
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tendo | tensão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | esticar, estender. | o ato ou efeito de esticar ou forçar algo ao seu limite |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tendo and tensão apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tendo is /ˈten.doː/ while tensão is /tẽ.ˈsɐ.ɐ̃w̃/. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tendo is recorded at frequency rank #591, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈten.doː/. tensão is at rank #2,913, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tẽ.ˈsɐ.ɐ̃w̃/.
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 3504, this pair ranks #71,639 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tendo vs tensão
Shared letters: enot. Private to "tendo": d. Private to "tensão": sã.
"tendo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "tensão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- tendo ← etndo · tedno · tenddo · tenndo · tenod · tnedo · ttendo
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tendo" and "tensão" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tendo" or "tensão"?
Remembering tendo vs tensão
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tendo”; for a noun, it's “tensão”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tendo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable