Which to use
“est” is an adjective and “estás” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,957
- “est” frequency rank
- #401
- “estás” frequency rank
- 6358
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | est | estás |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Este. | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes est and estás
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between est and estás
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: est is [ɛst] while estás is [esˈt̪as]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “est” sits inside “estás”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6358, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
est is recorded at frequency rank #5,957, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛst]. 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 6358, this pair ranks #311,003 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of est vs estás
Shared letters: est. Private to "est": -. Private to "estás": á.
"est" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "estás" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "est" for "estás" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "est" or "estás" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "est" 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 #311,003 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "est" and "estás" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "EPL vs est". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #311,003 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.