Which to use
“estábamos” and “estabas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,406
- “estábamos” frequency rank
- #4,788
- “estabas” frequency rank
- 8194
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estábamos | estabas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. |
Where the eye mixes estábamos and estabas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. estábamos runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against estabas's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses estábamos with estabas
A purely visual mix-up. estábamos ([esˈt̪aβ̞amos]) and estabas ([esˈt̪aβ̞as]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estábamos is recorded at frequency rank #3,406, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞amos]. estabas is at rank #4,788, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞as].
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 8194, this pair ranks #305,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of estábamos vs estabas
Shared letters: abest. Private to "estábamos": moá. Private to "estabas": -.
"estábamos" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "estabas" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- estabas ← esatbas · esstabas · estaabs · estabass · estabbas · estabsa · estavas · estbaas
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "estábamos" for "estabas" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "estábamos" or "estabas" show up more?
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 "estábamos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estabas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #305,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estábamos" and "estabas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estabais vs estabas". 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 #305,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.