Which to use
“estar” and “estén” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #148
- “estar” frequency rank
- #1,448
- “estén” frequency rank
- 1596
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estar | estén |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Existir, hallarse alguien o algo con cierta permanencia y estabilidad en este o aquel lugar, situación, condición o modo actual de ser. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de estar o de estarse. |
Where the eye mixes estar and estén
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between estar and estén
A purely visual mix-up. estar ([esˈt̪aɾ]) and estén ([esˈt̪ẽn]) 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 1596, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estar is recorded at frequency rank #148, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aɾ]. estén is at rank #1,448, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ẽn].
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 1596, this pair ranks #321,766 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of estar vs estén
Shared letters: est. Private to "estar": ar. Private to "estén": né.
"estar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "estén" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- estar ← esatr · esstar · estarr · estra · esttar · etsar · setar
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "estar" and "estén" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "estar" or "estén" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "estar" and "estén" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "estar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estén" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #321,766 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estar" and "estén" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estén vs Esteve". 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 #321,766 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.