estáisvsestañoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#6,181
“estáis” frequency rank
#25,629
“estaño” frequency rank
31810
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estáis estaño
Definition Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. Elemento químico metálico, cuyo número atómico es el 50 y que está situado en el grupo 14 de la tabla periódica de los elementos, con el símbolo Sn.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set estáis and estaño apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
estáis
6 ch
estaño

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: estáis is [esˈt̪ajs] while estaño is [esˈt̪aɲo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 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 31810, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estáis is recorded at frequency rank #6,181, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ajs]. estaño is at rank #25,629, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪aɲo].

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 31810, this pair ranks #205,205 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of estáis vs estaño

Shared letters: est. Private to "estáis": . Private to "estaño": aoñ.

"estáis" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "estaño" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Frequency comparison

estáis#6,181
estaño#25,629

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "estáis" and "estaño" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "estáis" is a verb and "estaño" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "estáis" or "estaño"?
"estáis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,181 in our Spanish list, against #25,629 for "estaño". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering estáis vs estaño

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “estáis”; for a noun, it's “estaño”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “estáis” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list