Which to use
“esta” is an unknown and “estoy” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33
- “esta” frequency rank
- #96
- “estoy” frequency rank
- 129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | esta | estoy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de este₂. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes esta and estoy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: esta vs estoy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: esta is [ˈest̪a] while estoy is [esˈt̪oj]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
esta is recorded at frequency rank #33, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈest̪a]. 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 129, this pair ranks #323,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of esta vs estoy
Shared letters: est. Private to "esta": a. Private to "estoy": oy.
"esta" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "estoy" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "esta" and "estoy" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "esta" or "estoy" 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 "esta" 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 #323,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "esta" and "estoy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eses vs esta". 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 #323,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.