Which to use
“están” and “estoy” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #91
- “están” frequency rank
- #96
- “estoy” frequency rank
- 187
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | están | estoy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes están and estoy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between están and estoy
A purely visual mix-up. están ([esˈt̪ãn]) and estoy ([esˈt̪oj]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 187, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
están is recorded at frequency rank #91, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ãn]. estoy is at rank #96, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪oj].
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 187, this pair ranks #323,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of están vs estoy
Shared letters: est. Private to "están": ná. Private to "estoy": oy.
"están" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "estoy" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- estoy ← esoty · esstoy · estoyy · esttoy · estyo · etsoy · setoy
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "están" and "estoy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "están" or "estoy"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "están" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estoy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #323,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "están" and "estoy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "están vs estanca". 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 #323,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.