tenhavstensãoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tenha is a verb, tensão is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tenha” is a verb and “tensão” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#369
“tenha” frequency rank
#2,913
“tensão” frequency rank
3282
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tenha tensão
Definition primeira pessoa do singular do presente do conjuntivo do verbo ter 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 tenha and tensão apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tenha
6 ch
tensão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tenha is averb and tensãoanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3282, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tenha is recorded at frequency rank #369, classified as averb. 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 3282, this pair ranks #71,884 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tenha vs tensão

Shared letters: ent. Private to "tenha": ah. Private to "tensão": osã.

"tenha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "tensão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tenhaetnha · tehna · tenah · tenhha · tennha · tneha · ttenha

Frequency comparison

tenha#369
tensão#2,913

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tenha" and "tensão" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tenha" is a verb and "tensão" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tenha" or "tensão"?
"tenha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #369 in our Portuguese list, against #2,913 for "tensão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tenha vs tensão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tenha”; for a noun, it's “tensão”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tenha” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list