Which to use
“estabais” and “estaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,630
- “estabais” frequency rank
- #482
- “estaban” frequency rank
- 50112
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estabais | estaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. |
Where the eye mixes estabais and estaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. estabais runs 8 letters (VCCVCVVC) against estaban's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between estabais and estaban
A purely visual mix-up. estabais ([esˈt̪aβ̞ajs]) and estaban ([esˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estabais is recorded at frequency rank #49,630, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞ajs]. estaban is at rank #482, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞ãn].
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 50112, this pair ranks #105,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of estabais vs estaban
Shared letters: abest. Private to "estabais": i. Private to "estaban": n.
"estabais" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVVC · "estaban" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "estabais" and "estaban" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "estabais" or "estaban"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "estabais" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #105,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estabais" and "estaban" 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 #105,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.