estaba
[esˈt̪aβ̞a]
The verdict
“estaba” is in the everyday core of Spanish, ranked #147 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.
- #147
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar o de estarse.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | estaba |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [esˈt̪aβ̞a] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #147 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “estaba” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for estaba is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [esˈt̪aβ̞a]. Corpus data places it at rank #147 in overall Spanish word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for estaba, with forms such as "esatba", "esstaba", and "estaab". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "están", "estar", "estás", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is estaba, spelled E-S-T-A-B-A.
Definition
- 1Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar o de estarse.
- 2Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar o de estarse.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: esatba,esstaba,estaab,estabba,estava,estbaa,esttaba,etsaba,setaba
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of estaba - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “estaba”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is E-S-T-A-B-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [esˈt̪aβ̞a] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “están” - see the side-by-side comparison. estaba vs están
- Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.