Which to use
“est” is an adjective and “estoy” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,957
- “est” frequency rank
- #96
- “estoy” frequency rank
- 6053
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | est | estoy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Este. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes est and estoy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: est vs estoy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: est is [ɛst] while estoy is [esˈt̪oj]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “est” sits inside “estoy”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6053, 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]. estoy is at rank #96, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪oj].
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 6053, this pair ranks #311,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of est vs estoy
Shared letters: est. Private to "est": -. Private to "estoy": oy.
"est" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "estoy" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- estoy ← esoty · esstoy · estoyy · esttoy · estyo · etsoy · setoy
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "est" and "estoy" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "est" or "estoy" show up more?
What to do next
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 "estoy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #311,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "est" and "estoy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "EPL vs est". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #311,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.