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 eye mixes estáis and estaño
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. estáis (VCCVVC) and estaño (VCCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between estáis and estaño
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": iá. Private to "estaño": aoñ.
"estáis" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "estaño" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "estáis" and "estaño" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "estáis" or "estaño" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "estáis" and "estaño" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "estáis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estaño" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #205,205 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estáis" and "estaño" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estanca vs estaño". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #205,205 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.