Which to use
“esa” is a pronoun and “estás” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #94
- “esa” frequency rank
- #401
- “estás” frequency rank
- 495
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | esa | estás |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se emplea para indicar o señalar algo o a alguien próximo al interlocutor, o referirse a algo que este acaba de mencionar. Designa también algo menos cercano en el tiempo o en el espacio que lo indicado por el pronombre "esta". | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes esa and estás
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: esa vs estás
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: esa is [ˈesa] while estás is [esˈt̪as]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 495, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
esa is recorded at frequency rank #94, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈesa]. estás is at rank #401, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪as].
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 495, this pair ranks #323,350 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of esa vs estás
Shared letters: es. Private to "esa": a. Private to "estás": tá.
"esa" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "estás" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "esa" for "estás" ever safe?
Frequency check: "esa" vs "estás" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "esa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estás" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #323,350 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "esa" and "estás" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "EPL vs esa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #323,350 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.