estabasvsestatuasTell them apart

Quick tell: estabas is a verb, estatuas is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“estabas” is a verb and “estatuas” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,788
“estabas” frequency rank
#10,336
“estatuas” frequency rank
15124
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estabas estatuas
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estar. Forma del plural de estatua.

Where the eye mixes estabas and estatuas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
estabas
8 ch
estatuas

Look-alike desk: estabas vs estatuas

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: estabas is [esˈt̪aβ̞as] while estatuas is [esˈt̪at̪was]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15124, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estabas is recorded at frequency rank #4,788, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aβ̞as]. estatuas is at rank #10,336, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪at̪was].

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 15124, this pair ranks #281,435 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of estabas vs estatuas

Shared letters: aest. Private to "estabas": b. Private to "estatuas": u.

"estabas" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "estatuas" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • estabasesatbas · esstabas · estaabs · estabass · estabbas · estabsa · estavas · estbaas
  • estatuasesattuas · esstatuas · estataus · estattuas · estatuass · estatusa · estautas · esttatuas

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "estabas" for "estatuas" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "estabas" is a verb and "estatuas" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "estabas" vs "estatuas" - which ranks higher?
"estabas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,788 in our Spanish list, against #10,336 for "estatuas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "estabas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estatuas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #281,435 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "estabas" and "estatuas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estáticas vs estatuas". 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 #281,435 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list