estarvsestésWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“estar” and “estés” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#148
“estar” frequency rank
#2,660
“estés” frequency rank
2808
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estar estés
Definition Existir, hallarse alguien o algo con cierta permanencia y estabilidad en este o aquel lugar, situación, condición o modo actual de ser. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de subjuntivo de estar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
estar
5 ch
estés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. estar ([esˈt̪aɾ]) and estés ([esˈt̪es]) 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 2808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estar is recorded at frequency rank #148, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪aɾ]. estés is at rank #2,660, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪es].

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 2808, this pair ranks #319,599 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of estar vs estés

Shared letters: est. Private to "estar": ar. Private to "estés": é.

"estar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "estés" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • estaresatr · esstar · estarr · estra · esttar · etsar · setar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "estar" and "estés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([esˈt̪aɾ] versus [esˈt̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "estar" or "estés"?
"estar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #148 in our Spanish list, against #2,660 for "estés". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list