tensãovstensoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tensão is a noun, tenso is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#2,913
“tensão” frequency rank
#11,362
“tenso” frequency rank
14275
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tensão tenso
Definition o ato ou efeito de esticar ou forçar algo ao seu limite que está sob tensão; em que há tensão

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tensão and tenso apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tensão
5 ch
tenso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tensão is anoun and tensoanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tensão is recorded at frequency rank #2,913, classified as anoun, pronounced /tẽ.ˈsɐ.ɐ̃w̃/. tenso is at rank #11,362, tagged as anadj.

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 14275, this pair ranks #57,872 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tensão vs tenso

Shared letters: enost. Private to "tensão": ã. Private to "tenso": -.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tensoetnso · tennso · tenos · tensso · tesno · tneso · ttenso

Frequency comparison

tensão#2,913
tenso#11,362

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tensão" and "tenso" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tensão" is a noun and "tenso" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tensão" or "tenso"?
"tensão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,913 in our Portuguese list, against #11,362 for "tenso". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tensão vs tenso

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “tensão”; for an adjective, it's “tenso”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tensão” 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