estásvsestéisWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#401
“estás” frequency rank
#29,645
“estéis” frequency rank
30046
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estás estéis
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de estar o de estarse.

Where the eye mixes estás and estéis

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. estás runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against estéis's 6 (VCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
estás
6 ch
estéis

Why the eye confuses estás with estéis

A purely visual mix-up. estás ([esˈt̪as]) and estéis ([esˈt̪ejs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30046, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estás is recorded at frequency rank #401, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪as]. estéis is at rank #29,645, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ejs].

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 30046, this pair ranks #213,923 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of estás vs estéis

Shared letters: est. Private to "estás": á. Private to "estéis": ié.

"estás" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "estéis" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "estás" and "estéis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([esˈt̪as] versus [esˈt̪ejs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "estás" or "estéis"?
"estás" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #401 in our Spanish list, against #29,645 for "estéis". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "estás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estéis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #213,923 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "estás" and "estéis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estéis vs esteros". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #213,923 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list