Which to use
“Estados” is an unknown and “estáis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #278
- “Estados” frequency rank
- #6,181
- “estáis” frequency rank
- 6459
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Estados | estáis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de Estado. | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes Estados and estáis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Estados and estáis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Estados is [esˈt̪að̞os] while estáis is [esˈt̪ajs]. 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 (unknown vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6459, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Estados is recorded at frequency rank #278, classified as anunknown, pronounced [esˈt̪að̞os]. estáis is at rank #6,181, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ajs].
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 6459, this pair ranks #310,711 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Estados vs estáis
Shared letters: est. Private to "Estados": ado. Private to "estáis": iá.
"Estados" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "estáis" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Estados ← esatdos · esstados · estaddos · estadoss · estadso · estaods · estdaos · esttados
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Estados" for "estáis" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Estados" or "estáis"?
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 "Estados" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estáis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #310,711 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Estados" and "estáis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estabais vs estáis". 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 #310,711 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.