Which to use
“están” is a verb and “estante” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #91
- “están” frequency rank
- #26,832
- “estante” frequency rank
- 26923
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | están | estante |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. | Mueble con anaqueles o entrepaños y sin puertas, que sirve para colocar libros, papeles u otras cosas. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set están and estante apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: están is [esˈt̪ãn] while estante is [esˈt̪ãn̪t̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 26923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
están is recorded at frequency rank #91, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ãn]. estante is at rank #26,832, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪ãn̪t̪e].
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 26923, this pair ranks #229,292 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of están vs estante
Shared letters: enst. Private to "están": á. Private to "estante": a.
"están" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "estante" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- estante ← esatnte · esstante · estanet · estannte · estantte · estatne · estnate · esttante
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "están" and "estante" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "están" or "estante"?
Remembering están vs estante
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “están”; for a noun, it's “estante”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “están” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable