Which to use
“estábamos” and “estamos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,406
- “estábamos” frequency rank
- #237
- “estamos” frequency rank
- 3643
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estábamos | estamos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes estábamos and estamos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. estábamos runs 9 letters (VCCVCVCVC) against estamos's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between estábamos and estamos
A purely visual mix-up. estábamos ([esˈt̪aβ̞amos]) and estamos ([esˈt̪amos]) 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 3643, 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]. estamos is at rank #237, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪amos].
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 3643, this pair ranks #317,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of estábamos vs estamos
Shared letters: aemost. Private to "estábamos": bá. Private to "estamos": -.
"estábamos" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "estamos" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- estamos ← esatmos · esstamos · estammos · estamoss · estamso · estaoms · estmaos · esttamos
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "estábamos" and "estamos" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "estábamos" or "estamos"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "estábamos" and "estamos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "estábamos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estamos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #317,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estábamos" and "estamos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estabais vs estábamos". 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 #317,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.