Which to use
“estaba” and “estabais” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #147
- “estaba” frequency rank
- #49,630
- “estabais” frequency rank
- 49777
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estaba | estabais |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar o de estarse. | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. |
Where the eye mixes estaba and estabais
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. estaba runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against estabais's 8 (VCCVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between estaba and estabais
A purely visual mix-up. estaba ([esˈt̪aβ̞a]) and estabais ([esˈt̪aβ̞ajs]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “estaba” sits inside “estabais”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49777, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estaba is recorded at frequency rank #147, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞a]. estabais is at rank #49,630, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞ajs].
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 49777, this pair ranks #106,884 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of estaba vs estabais
Shared letters: abest. Private to "estaba": -. Private to "estabais": i.
"estaba" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "estabais" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "estaba" for "estabais" ever safe?
Which is more common, "estaba" or "estabais"?
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 "estaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estabais" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #106,884 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estaba" and "estabais" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estabais vs estaréis". 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 #106,884 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.