entrabanvsestabanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“entraban” and “estaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#20,671
“entraban” frequency rank
#482
“estaban” frequency rank
21153
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entraban estaban
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de entrabar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entraban and estaban apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
entraban
7 ch
estaban

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entraban ([ẽn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞ãn]) and estaban ([esˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21153, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entraban is recorded at frequency rank #20,671, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞ãn]. estaban is at rank #482, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞ãn].

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 21153, this pair ranks #256,164 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entraban vs estaban

Shared letters: abent. Private to "entraban": r. Private to "estaban": s.

"entraban" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "estaban" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entrabanenntraban · enrtaban · entarban · entraabn · entrabann · entrabban · entrabna · entravan
  • estabanesatban · esstaban · estaabn · estabann · estabban · estabna · estavan · estbaan

Frequency comparison

entraban#20,671
estaban#482

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entraban" and "estaban" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞ãn] versus [esˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entraban" or "estaban"?
"estaban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #482 in our Spanish list, against #20,671 for "entraban". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering entraban vs estaban

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entraban” 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