Which to use
“estaban” is a verb and “estafas” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #482
- “estaban” frequency rank
- #23,051
- “estafas” frequency rank
- 23533
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estaban | estafas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. | Forma del plural de estafa. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set estaban and estafas apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: estaban is [esˈt̪aβ̞ãn] while estafas is [esˈt̪afas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estaban is recorded at frequency rank #482, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞ãn]. estafas is at rank #23,051, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪afas].
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 23533, this pair ranks #245,365 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of estaban vs estafas
Shared letters: aest. Private to "estaban": bn. Private to "estafas": f.
"estaban" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "estafas" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "estaban" and "estafas" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "estaban" or "estafas"?
Remembering estaban vs estafas
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “estaban”; for a noun, it's “estafas”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “estaban” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable